T-Bills for Tots

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The Federal Reserve recently launched a site geared towards kids aged eleven to fourteen. Trying to make financial matters “fun and interesting,” children are lead by a giant eagle wearing a patriotic top-hat and a tie through the basic world of the Federal Reserve. Curiously, the site fails to mention the word “debt” anywhere, a gaping hole in any economics lesson. But it does delve into interest rates, inflation, growth and the Federal Open Market Committee.

Another fun kids’ site stimulates kids by querying: “Have you ever asked ‘Why do we have to pay taxes?’ Do your parents pull their hair out around April 15th?” Oh, to be a kid in the age of the internet.

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OUR DEADLINE MATH PROBLEM

It’s risky, but also unavoidable: A full one-third of the dollars that we need to pay for the journalism you rely on has to get raised in December. A good December means our newsroom is fully staffed, well-resourced, and on the beat. A bad one portends budget trouble and hard choices.

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We simply can’t afford to come up short. There is no cushion in our razor-thin budget—no backup, no alternative sources of revenue to balance our books. Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the fierce journalism we do. That’s why we need you to show up for us right now.

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