It seems that interviews are all the rage these days, from Lew Rockwell interviewing Ron Paul to Tom Woods being interviewed by a Zombie. Some of us more unfortunate people aren’t exactly being bombarded with requests to be interviewed. Yet we (translate: I) want in on the fun too. So, why can’t I interview myself? After doing this interview, I have a suggestion for all you famous people, you should try this too. I’ve noticed that many times when you’re interviewed, you don’t get much time to answer the questions, and sometimes (translate: most of the time) the interviewer isn’t very friendly. This is a much better way to do it. If there’s something you really want to talk about, just ask yourself the appropriate question, and then talk for as long as you feel like. Without any more delay, here’s my interview with…me.
Me: How did you get interested in politics/history/economics?
Myself: It was mostly through the Richard Maybury books, specifically, “Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?” which is a guide to basic Austrian economics for kids. I enjoyed reading it, and realized that economics doesn’t have to be boring. I read his other books on ancient Rome, WWI and WWII and liked hearing the other side of the story that we’re never told.
Me: How did you get politically active?
Myself: Some friends told us about Ron Paul who was running for president. I was interested in it as he had endorsed the Richard Maybury books, and I was vaguely familiar with his name. I started reading the info about him and finding out what he stood for, and that was very exciting. It opened my mind to many new opportunities and ideas.
Me: And then came the tea parties…
Myself: I convinced my family to attend a local tea party on April 14th. It was my first adventure in any type of political activism with other people. I was a “loner” during Ron Paul’s campaign, secretly depositing literature wherever I went, but never was involved with others. That was exciting to attend the tea party and meet so many other like-minded people.
Me: You were involved with the Campaign for Liberty?
Myself: Yes, about the same time as the tea party I decided to join the Campaign for Liberty as a local coordinator. It was a crazy idea for a 15-year old who had never been involved in politics, but I enjoyed it. I liked networking with people around the country and gaining valuable experience in organization, management, and how to work with others.
Me: How did you get interested in economics?
Myself: Last fall my friends were taking economic courses from a local college. I knew the courses were Keynesian, or maybe Classical at best, but not Austrian. So I turned to the Mises Institute which I was slightly familiar with. I discovered they had quite a few courses at the college level that I could take for free over the internet. My first course was by Joe Salerno. I think I took about 40 pages of notes from that course, it was incredible. It was common sense, but he also presented many new ideas. I enjoyed finding out the technical words for the ordinary things we do in life. I decided to try my luck and apply for a scholarship to the Mises Institute’s conference on Jekyll Island in February. I also applied for a scholarship to Mises University this summer. I ended up getting scholarships for both, I’m deeply grateful to the Mises Institute for that. I really enjoyed the Jekyll Island conference, all about the Federal Reserve, and I’m looking forward to Mises University.
Me: Are you going to college?
Myself: I don’t think so. Economically, I think there’s a bubble in the college industry–that accounts for the astronomical prices students are paying–and that there are too many people getting degrees. I think there are people going to college who really don’t want to be there, but they end up with a degree too, even though they didn’t learn all that much. This has decreased the value of a college education. I think more and more employers will be looking for people who are intelligent, well-educated (a good education isn’t synonymous with a college education), experienced, and who want to work.
Me: So what are your plans?
Myself: I want to pursue teaching. I hope to teach economics to my younger sisters and maybe a few other kids this fall, and maybe history. I will continue to do public speaking as that’s something I really enjoy. I’ll keep learning too, I have big plans for my next school year, some astronomy, geometry, more economics, and maybe a foreign language. I’m also planning to publish a collection of short stories later this year. I’ve been working on these stories for a while, and am excited to get them published.
Me: Any other questions I should ask?
Myself: I don’t think so. Thank you!
this was very intriguing. i think maybe i’ll try an interview with myself someday. you are an awesome young lady. you’ll go far…not by the world’s standards but by something much better.