I happened to get a copy of Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover" recently, and I've enjoyed the radio show for a while, so it REALLY annoyed me when my 14 yr old (Nell) came home and told me about her Economics class Finance Project.

It sounds like a neat exercise. Each kid gets a job with income and they have to work out a budget. There are two things that stick in my craw.

If they can get married, the family gets $2000 and shares expenses. If they don't, the individual gets $500 and can share some expenses with a roommate. I told Nell to tell the teacher that marriage is an outdated patriarchal institution designed to subjugate women! She practiced that line, but ended up not using it because there were four more girls than guys in the class. I also think the marriage incentives are heterocentric.

Second, they have to apply for a car loan and a house loan. No, they can't buy a clunker with cash. They can buy a used car but they HAVE to get a car loan. They can't get a bicycle, or a motorcycle. It has to be a car! Rent until they save up a down payment for a house? Nope.

If the goal of the project is to teach about how loans work, I think it could be done differently. The way it is, it's teaching them that car loans are a way of life and anyone who doesn't have a car loan is a failure.

I wanted to talk to the teacher about it. Nell doesn't actually care, she hates the class, but my husband doesn't like me making waves unnecessarily (I admit he has good reason to fear that). So I'm consoling myself with a rant on here... thanks for listening!