Showdown #8: Should People Be Required To Pay Taxes?

In episode 268, siblings Olivia and Noah debate whether people should be required to pay taxes. 

VOTE - https://forms.office.com/r/60JvscmtUS

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Transcript

PODCAST 268: THE GREAT SIBLING SHOWDOWN

SHOWDOWN #8: SHOULD PEOPLE BE REQUIRED TO PAY TAXES?

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, APRIL 14TH, 2024

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO ***THE GREAT SIBLING SHOWDOWN***.  IN THE LAST EPISODE, OLIVIA AND NOAH DEBATED WHETHER PEOPLE SHOULD BATHE OR SHOWER EVERY DAY.  AS SOON AS THE EPISODE WAS RELEASED, THE VOTES STARTED FLYING IN, AND GUESS WHAT?  THE RESULTS OF ALL YOUR VOTES ARE THE CLOSEST OF ANY SHOWDOWN YET.  ARE YOU WONDERING WHETHER OUR LISTENERS THINK THAT WE SHOULD BATHE EVERY DAY OR IF EVERY DAY IS JUST TOO MUCH?  STICK AROUND FOR JUST ANOTHER MOMENT TO FIND OUT, BUT FIRST, LET’S SEE WHAT SOME OF OUR LISTENERS HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE SHOWDOWN.

O:  MAILBAG!

N:  MAILBAG!

O:  IN THE DEBATE, I ARGUED THAT PEOPLE SHOULDN’T SHOWER EVERY SINGLE DAY.  HERE ARE SOME LISTENERS WHO AGREE WITH ME:

CONNOR FROM SYRACUSE, UTAH SAID “I think it's a big waste of water and money. I go to school most days and almost everyday I'm not sweaty. I think it's probably good to shower 1 day each week unless you work at a job like Olivia said like garbage man or exercising and need to bathe more often. I love your podcast, keep up the good work.”

HARLEN FROM SCOTLAND SAID “If you shower too much you get rid of good bacteria that we need. So we should only shower 3 or 4 times a week and that should help keep you healthy.”

LILY FROM PEA RIDGE, ARKANSAS, SAID “I think Olivia’s right because the more you take a shower your hair will get greasy faster. I love your podcast. I’ve learned so many things.”

N:  NOW, LET’S HEAR FROM A FEW LISTENERS ON TEAM NOAH THAT BELIEVE WE SHOULD SHOWER EVERY DAY:

ADRIAN FROM HONG KONG SAID “Even if you don't sweat that much you still should shower daily because if you don't you might get smelly. I also shower before I go to bed not after I wake up.”

SAMAY FROM HYDERABAD, INDIA SAID “Because dust and bacteria will come on us and make us sick.”

ZADE FROM PORT MOODY, BRITISH COLUMBIA SAID “Because every day people run and they might get sweaty and smell like a skunk. Then they have to take a bath or shower.”

D:  NOW IT’S TIME TO REVEAL THE RESULTS OF THE CLOSEST SHOWDOWN IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.  AFTER THE SHOWDOWN CAME OUT LAST WEEK, WE ASKED YOU, THE LISTENERS, TO CAST YOUR VOTE.  BECAUSE WE HAVE THE BEST PODCAST LISTENERS IN THE UNIVERSE, SO MANY OF YOU TOOK JUST A MINUTE OR TWO TO LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.  ALL I HAVE TO DO TO GET TO THE RESULTS IS SAY TWO WORDS, BUT I CAN’T SEEM TO REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE.  CAN ANYBODY OUT THERE HELP ME?  AH, THAT’S RIGHT.  DRUMROLL PLEASE!

***DRUMROLL***

WITH 51.9% OF THE TOTAL VOTE, MOST OF OUR LISTENERS THINK THAT PEOPLE SHOULD NOT SHOWER EVERY DAY.

O:  MY GOODNESS, THAT’S A CLOSE VOTE.  A FEW VOTES HERE OR THERE MADE THE DIFFERENCE.  

N:  THAT’S WHY EVERYONE NEEDS TO VOTE.  IN THESE SHOWDOWNS, IT’S YOU, OUR LISTENERS, THAT HAVE THE POWER TO LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK, AND TO HAVE YOUR VOTES COUNTED.  

D:  WE GET LOTS OF VOTES IN THESE SHOWDOWNS, BUT WE WANT MORE.  DO YOU WANT TO HEAR A CRAZY STAT?  ONLY 1.55% OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE LISTENED TO THE LAST SHOWDOWN VOTED.  WE GET HUNDREDS OF VOTES FOR EACH SHOWDOWN, BUT WE SHOULD GET THOUSANDS, OR EVEN TENS OF THOUSANDS, BASED ON HOW MANY PEOPLE LISTEN TO THEM.  ONCE YOU’RE DONE LISTENING TO EACH SHOWDOWN, DON’T FORGET TO CLICK ON THE LINK IN THE EPISODE NOTES TO CAST YOUR VOTE.  IF YOU HAVE FAMILY MEMBERS THAT DON’T AGREE ON HOW TO VOTE FOR A SHOWDOWN, YOU CAN CAST MORE THAN ONE VOTE, BECAUSE EVERY SINGLE VOTE COUNTS.    

O:  IF YOU VOTE, WE MIGHT READ ONE OF YOUR COMMENTS IN THE NEXT EPISODE.

N:  AND IF YOU VOTE, YOUR VOTE WILL BE COUNTED WITH THE VOTES OF ALL OF OUR LISTENERS.  

D:  NOW THAT WE’VE REVEALED THE RESULTS OF SHOWDOWN 
 #7, IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON TO SHOWDOWN #8.  OUR DEBATE THIS WEEK WAS SUGGESTED BY AIDAN OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AND COLTON AND ZACH OF HUBBARD, NEBRASKA.  THIS WEEK, OLIVIA AND NOAH WILL DEBATE WHETHER PEOPLE SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO PAY TAXES.

***INTERLUDE***

BEFORE WE DEBATE ABOUT TAXES, WE SHOULD EXPLAIN WHAT THEY ARE, BECAUSE MANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST, ESPECIALLY THE KIDS OUT THERE, HAVEN’T HAD THE DISTINCT PLEASURE OF FILING TAXES YET.  TAXES ARE MANDATORY FEES THAT PEOPLE NEED TO PAY TO THE GOVERNMENT.  ALMOST EVERY PERSON OR BUSINESS THAT MAKES MONEY NEEDS TO PAY TAXES.  PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES THAT DON’T PAY TAXES CAN BE PUNISHED, EITHER BY HAVING TO PAY A FINE, OR EVEN BY TIME IN JAIL.  

THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF TAXES ON DIFFERENT THINGS, AND THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TAXES ARE USED TO RAISE MONEY FOR DIFFERENT THINGS.  TO SIMPLIFY THINGS, I’M GOING TO EXPLAIN TWO OF THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF TAX THAT PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES MIGHT PAY.  

FIRST, LET’S DISCUSS SALES TAX.  WHEN YOU GO TO A STORE AND BUY THINGS, YOU MIGHT NOTICE THAT THE PRICE YOU END UP PAYING AT THE REGISTER IS HIGHER THAN THE TOTAL OF ALL THE ITEMS YOU ARE BUYING.  SO, IF I TRIED TO PURCHASE AN ITEM THAT IS LABELED AS $20, AND I ONLY HAVE A $20 BILL TO PAY FOR IT, I WON’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY, BECAUSE SALES TAX WILL BE ADDED AT CHECKOUT.  IN NEW JERSEY, THE SALES TAX IS 6.625%, MEANING THAT SOMETHING LABELED AS $20 WILL ACTUALLY COST $21.33.  WHAT IS THAT EXTRA $1.33 GOING TO BE USED FOR?  WELL, IT’S USED TO FUND LOCAL PROJECTS FOR THE COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS THE LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT.  FOR EXAMPLE, IT COULD BE USED TO FUND OUR SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES, OUR FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS, AND FOR MAINTAINING OUR ROADS AND BRIDGES.  

ANOTHER COMMON TAX IS INCOME TAX.  WHEN PEOPLE WORK, THE PEOPLE THEY WORK FOR, ALSO CALLED THEIR EMPLOYER, PAYS THEM FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DO.  IF SOMEONE EARNS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY, LET’S SAY $1,000, THEY WILL LIKELY NOTICE THAT THEY ARE GOING TO GET LESS THAN $1,000.  THAT’S BECAUSE A PERCENTAGE OF MONEY EARNED AT WORK GOES TO THE GOVERNMENT.  IN THE UNITED STATES, THE PERCENT OF THE MONEY SOMEONE MAKES THAT GOES TO PAYING TAXES GOES UP THE MORE MONEY SOMEONE MAKES.  UNLIKE SALES TAX, INCOME TAX IS USED TO PAY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR THINGS LIKE FUNDING THE MILITARY AND PROVIDING HEALTH CARE TO PEOPLE WHO CAN’T AFFORD IT.  

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PAYING TAXES FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, AND FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.  THE FIRST RECORDED TAXES TOOK PLACE ABOUT 5,000 YEARS AGO IN ANCIENT EGYPT.  THE PHARAOH COLLECTED 20% OF EVERYONE’S CROPS.  BACK THEN, EGYPT DIDN’T HAVE MONEY THE WAY WE HAVE MONEY TODAY.  THERE WERE NO BILLS OR COINS TO REPRESENT A MONEY VALUE.  A PERSON’S WEALTH OFTEN CAME FROM THE CROPS THEY GREW, LIKE GRAIN.  THAT’S WHY THE PHARAOH COLLECTED 20% OF EVERYONE’S CROPS AS A TAX.  

SALES TAX STARTED WITH JULIUS CAESAR IN ANCIENT ROME.  IT WAS A 1% TAX ON ANYTHING IN THE ENTIRE ROMAN EMPIRE.  INCOME TAXES STARTED WITH ROMAN EMPEROR AUGUSTUS OVER 2,000 YEARS AGO. 

TAXES DIDN’T START IN THE UNITED STATES UNTIL THE 1760’S.  THE TAXES, WHICH WERE COLLECTED FROM AMERICAN CITIZENS FOR THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, WERE VERY UNPOPULAR AND WOULD LEAD TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, WHEN AMERICA WOULD GAIN IT’S INDEPENDENCE FROM BRITISH RULE.  ONE FAMOUS HISTORICAL EVENT YOU ARE LIKELY TO LEARN ABOUT IN SCHOOL THAT INVOLVES TAXES WAS CALLED THE BOSTON TEA PARTY.  IN THE 1760’S, ENGLAND WAS IN LOTS OF DEBT, MEANING THAT THEY OWED LOTS OF MONEY.  IN ORDER TO HELP BRING IN SOME MONEY, THEY ADDED TAXES TO A LOT OF THINGS THAT AMERICANS NEEDED.  AT THE TIME, ENGLAND RULED THE AMERICAN COLONIES, SO THEY FELT LIKE THEY WERE JUSTIFIED FOR ADDING TAXES ON AMERICAN GOODS.  

AMERICAN COLONISTS WERE FURIOUS, BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T THINK THAT ENGLAND HAD THE RIGHT TO TAX THEM.  WHAT THEY WERE UPSET ABOUT WAS SOMETHING THAT THEY CALLED “TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION”.  IT SOUNDS PRETTY COMPLICATED, BUT IT’S ACTUALLY PRETTY SIMPLE.  THESE DAYS, IN ORDER TO MAKE CHANGES TO OUR TAX LAWS, THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES.  WE VOTE FOR OUR GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES ON ELECTION DAY, WHICH MEANS THAT WE HAVE SOME SAY IN OUR TAXES, OR MORE SPECIFICALLY, WE HELP DECIDE WHO IS GOING TO MAKE THOSE IMPORTANT DECISIONS ABOUT TAXES.  THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE REPRESENTATION, IN OTHER WORDS, WE CONTROL WHO REPRESENTS US IN MAKING TAX DECISIONS. BACK THEN, THE COLONISTS WERE UPSET BECAUSE THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WAS MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT TAXING AMERICANS, AND AMERICANS DIDN’T HAVE ANY CONTROL IN DECIDING WHO WAS GOING TO BE MAKING THOSE DECISIONS.  

THIS LED TO SOMETHING CALLED THE BOSTON TEA PARTY.  BRITAIN ENDED SOME OF THE TAXES THEY HAD UNFAIRLY GIVEN TO AMERICANS, BUT THEY KEPT A TAX ON TEA.  THEY DIDN’T WANT TO LOSE ALL OF THE MONEY THEY WERE MAKING ON THE 1.2 MILLION POUNDS OF TEA THAT THE COLONISTS ENJOYED EVERY YEAR.  THE BOSTON TEA PARTY TOOK PLACE ON DECEMBER 16TH, 1773.  THAT NIGHT, A LARGE GROUP OF COLONISTS THREW 342 CHESTS OF TEA INTO THE BOSTON HARBOR.  THAT TEA WAS BEING IMPORTED FROM OVERSEAS, AND WAS SUPPOSED TO EVENTUALLY BE SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES WITH A TAX.  INSTEAD, MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED COLONISTS SPENT THREE HOURS EMPTYING 342 CHESTS OF TEA INTO THE WATER OF BOSTON HARBOR.  IN TOTAL, ABOUT 90,000 POUNDS OF TEA WERE RUINED.  THEY DID THIS TO SHOW HOW UNHAPPY THEY WERE THAT IMPORTED TEA WAS BEING TAXED.  JUST A FEW YEARS AFTER THE EVENTS OF THE BOSTON TEA PARTY, THE UNITED STATES WOULD GAIN IT’S INDEPENDENCE, AND THE RIGHT TO MAKE IT’S OWN RULES REGARDING TAXES.  

NOW THAT WE UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE HISTORY AROUND TAXES AND WHY WE PAY TAXES, LET’S GET ON WITH THE SHOWDOWN.  THIS WEEK, NOAH IS GOING TO ARGUE THAT WE SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO PAY TAXES AND OLIVIA WILL ARGUE THAT WE SHOULD NOT.  AS ALWAYS, THERE ARE GOING TO BE 3 ROUNDS OF DEBATE, AND THEN IT’S GOING TO BE UP TO YOU TO VOTE AND DECIDE THIS DEBATE ONCE AND FOR ALL.  FIRST UP IS NOAH.  WHY SHOULD PEOPLE BE REQUIRED TO PAY TAXES?

N:  HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, TAXES ARE USED FOR THINGS THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.  IT’S IMPORTANT THAT OUR POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO, WHICH IS PROTECT US AND KEEP US SAFE.  IT’S IMPORTANT THAT THERE IS ENOUGH MONEY TO REPAIR ROADS AND BRIDGES WHEN THEY NEED TO BE FIXED, AND TO HELP FUND SCHOOLS, PARKS, AND SO MANY OTHER THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY.  

SOMETIMES, WE MIGHT TAKE THESE THINGS FOR GRANTED, BUT ALL OF THEM REQUIRE MONEY, AND THAT MONEY COMES FROM SALES TAX.  THANKS TO SALES TAX, WE CAN BE SURE THAT THERE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH MONEY TO TAKE CARE OF THESE BASIC NEEDS FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

O:  NOAH, EVERYTHING YOU SAID IS TRUE, BUT HERE’S THE SAD TRUTH.  A LOT OF THE MONEY AMERICANS SPEND ON TAXES IS WASTED BY THE GOVERNMENT.  A REPORT PUBLISHED LAST YEAR ESTIMATES THAT THE GOVERNMENT WASTES BILLIONS, WITH A “B”, DOLLARS OF TAX MONEY A YEAR.  IN THE YEAR 2022, THE NUMBER WAS ESTIMATED TO BE $247 BILLION.  

OF THAT $247 BILLION, $1.7 BILLION WAS USED TO MAINTAIN GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS THAT WERE COMPLETELY EMPTY.  BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WENT TO PAYING FOR PROGRAMS THAT WERE EXACTLY THE SAME AS OTHER PROGRAMS THAT ALREADY EXISTED, SO THEY WERE COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY.  

JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW MUCH MONEY WAS WASTED, SINCE 247 BILLION DOLLARS IS A RIDICULOUSLY LARGE NUMBER, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WASTED ENOUGH MONEY IN 2022 TO BUY HALF A MILLION HOUSES EVERY MONTH.  WHY SHOULD I GIVE MY MONEY TO THE GOVERNMENT TO WASTE, WHEN I CAN ENJOY IT MYSELF BY PUTTING IT TO GOOD USE?  

***BELL RINGS***

D:  WHAT AN AMAZING START TO THE DEBATE.  YOU BOTH MADE SUCH GREAT POINTS IN ROUND ONE, I HOPE YOU LEFT A FEW GOOD TALKING POINTS FOR ROUNDS TWO AND THREE.  LET’S FLIP THINGS FOR ROUND TWO AND START WITH OLIVIA, WHO IS GOING TO LET US KNOW WHY PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED TO PAY TAXES.  

O:  AT THE MOMENT NINE OF THE FIFTY STATES IN THE UNITED STATES DON’T MAKE PEOPLE PAY INCOME TAX.  THOSE STATES ARE ALASKA, FLORIDA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, SHOUTH DAKOTA, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, WASHINGTON, AND WYOMING.  

ACCORDING TO A STUDY DONE IN 2021, RANKING EACH OF THE STATES BY ECONOMIC OUTLOOK, FOUR OF THE TOP 10 STATES WITH THE STRONGEST ECONOMIC OUTLOOK DO NOT CHARGE AN INCOME TAX.  THAT’S AMAZING, CONSIDERING ONLY 9 STATES OUT OF 50 DON’T REQUIRE PEOPLE TO PAY INCOME TAX.  ALSO, PEOPLE ARE MOVING OUT OF STATES THAT HAVE INCOME TAX TO STATES THAT DON’T HAVE INCOME TAX.  RECENT ESTIMATES SHOW THAT CLOSE TO 300,000 PEOPLE PER YEAR HAVE BEEN MOVING FROM STATES WITH AN INCOME TAX TO STATES WITHOUT AN INCOME TAX.  THE STATES WITHOUT AN INCOME TAX HAVE BEEN GROWING AT ABOUT TWICE THE RATE OF STATES WITH AN INCOME TAX.  IF YOU ARE A HARD WORKER AND YOU EARN MONEY, WOULD YOU WANT TO LIVE IN A STATE THAT TAKES SOME OF THAT MONEY AWAY, OR IN A STATE THAT LETS YOU KEEP THAT MONEY?  I BET I KNOW YOUR ANSWER.

N:  NICE TRY OLIVIA, BUT IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE.  NOT HAVING AN INCOME TAX COMES AT A COST.  TWO OF THE NINE STATES THAT DON’T HAVE AN INCOME TAX, SOUTH DAKOTA AND WYOMING, SPEND LESS ON EDUCATION THAN ANY OTHER STATE IN THE COUNTRY.  ANOTHER STATE ON YOUR LIST, WASHINGTON, HAS A VERY HIGH SALES TAX TO MAKE UP FOR THE LACK OF INCOME TAX.  THEIR SALES TAX IS AS HIGH AS 9.29% IN SOME PARTS OF THE STATE, MEANING THAT MANY PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON STATE PAY MORE OVERALL TAXES THAN PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN STATES WITH AN INCOME TAX.  

ALSO, HERE’S ANOTHER THING TO CONSIDER.  THERE ARE MORE JOBS IN STATES WITH AN INCOME TAX.  AS YOU MENTIONED, LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE MOVING INTO STATES WITHOUT AN INCOME TAX, BUT THE NUMBER OF JOBS IN THOSE STATES IS NOT INCREASING AT THE SAME RATE.  THAT MEANS PEOPLE ARE SETTLING FOR JOBS THAT PAY THEM LESS MONEY.  SO, LONG STORY SHORT, MANY PEOPLE ARE HURTING THEMSELVES BY TAKING JOBS THAT PAY LESS JUST TO TRY TO AVOID PAYING INCOME TAX, AND THAT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE.

***BELL RINGS***

D:  ROUND TWO IS OFFICIALLY OVER, AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.  IT’S TIME FOR OLIVIA AND NOAH TO BEG AND PLEAD WITH YOU, OUR AMAZING LISTENERS.  THEY HAVE ONE LAST CHANCE TO CONVINCE YOU THAT THEIR RIGHT, AND SINCE I’M THEIR MEAN DAD, I’M GIVING THEM ONLY 60 SECONDS TO MAKE THEIR FINAL ARGUMENTS.  WE GAVE THE OFFICIAL GREAT SIBLING SHOWDOWN WHEEL A SPIN AND IT LANDED ON OLIVIA, WHICH MEANS THAT OLIVIA GOES FIRST.  GET YOUR STOPWATCH READY, BECAUSE OLIVIA’S SIXTY SECONDS START RIGHT NOW.

O:  EASY.  TAXES ARE USED TO TAKE MONEY AWAY FROM HARD WORKING PEOPLE.  IT TAKES MONEY AWAY FROM WHAT WE EARN, WHAT WE SAVE, AND WHAT WE INVEST.  ALLOWING US TO KEEP THE MONEY WE WORK SO HARD FOR WOULD ALLOW US TO POWER BUSINESSES BY SPENDING THAT MONEY.  MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE WOULDN’T WASTE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THE WAY THE GOVERNMENT DOES.  THE MONEY WOULD ACTUALLY GO TO GOOD USE.  IF WE WORK HARD, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET 100% OF THE MONEY WE EARN.  GETTING RID OF INCOME TAX WOULD MOTIVATE WORKERS EVEN MORE, BOOSTING THE BUSINESSES THEY WORK FOR, AND IMPROVING THE ECONOMY.  

N:  EVEN THOUGH PAYING TAXES IS NO FUN, IT'S ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.  IT HELPS US PROVIDE HEALTH CARE TO THE POOR AND TO THE ELDERLY.  IT HELPS GIVE MONEY TO PEOPLE WHO ARE RETIRED OR WHO HAVE DISABILITIES.  IT HELPS SUPPORT THE MILITARY AND PROTECT OUR COUNTRY.  IT HELPS RUN OUR SCHOOLS, PAVE OUR ROADS, MAINTAIN OUR BRIDGES, COLLECT OUR GARBAGE, AND PAY FOR OUR BRAVE POLICE OFFICERS AND FIRE FIGHTERS.  IT HELPS US HELP OTHER COUNTRIES IN TIMES OF NEED, LIKE AFTER A NATURAL DISASTER.  

***BELL RINGS***

D:  AND THERE YOU HAVE IT.  THE END OF ROUND THREE.  WAS OLIVIA ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU THAT YOU ARE BETTER OFF VOTING AGAINST TAXES THAN ACTUALLY FILING YOUR TAXES?  OR MAYBE YOU AGREE WITH NOAH THAT WE SHOULD BE GIVING MONEY TO THE GOVERNMENT BECAUSE THE MONEY IS NEEDED TO PROVIDE US WITH SO MANY THINGS WE NEED.  LET US KNOW HOW YOU FEEL BY VOTING.  I PROMISE YOU, IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE.  YOU CAN FIND A LINK IN THE EPISODE NOTES THAT WILL TAKE YOU RIGHT TO THE SURVEY WHERE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO VOTE AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.  AND WHO KNOWS?  MAYBE WE WILL READ YOUR COMMENTS IN THE NEXT EPISODE.  BEFORE WE GO, WE HAVE SOME AWESOME PEOPLE TO THANK. 

N:  WE WANT TO THANK LISTENERS FROM THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES FOR A 5 STAR REVIEW.

D:  IT SAYS “ENTERTAINING, EDUCATIONAL, EASY TO LEARN.  THANKS FOR AN AWESOME PODCAST”.  

O:  WE ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, JESSICA P. AND HARPER AND EMERSON S.

D:  THANK YOU SO MUCH, JESSICA, HARPER, AND EMERSON FOR THE SUPPORT.  WE HOPE YOU’RE ALL ENJOYING THE EXTRA GOODIES YOU GET AS PATREON SUPPORTERS.  IN OUR NEXT EPISODE, OLIVIA AND NOAH ARE GOING TO DEBATE WHETHER PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY.  SEE YOU BACK HERE NEXT WEEK ON THE GREAT SIBLING SHOWDOWN!