Theodore Boone: The Activist Read Online Free PDF Page A

vote for a guy like this?”
    “I did,” his father finally admitted.
    At the age of thirteen, Theo Boone had only a passing interest in politics. Much of what he saw on television told him to stay away from it altogether. He knew his mother tended to be more liberal and his father more conservative, but he had heard them insist more than once they were simply “moderates,” or somewhere in the middle. After listening to some of their discussions, he had realized there was nothing simple about being a moderate. Thankfully, his parents had the good sense not to argue politics in front of Theo. They rarely argued about anything, at least not in his presence.
    Innocently, Theo asked, “Where does the two hundred million dollars come from?”
    His father replied, “Mainly from the state, but there is some city and county money involved, too.”
    Theo asked, “But if the city is cutting budgets right and left, and canceling classes and laying off policemen and janitors, how can the city spend money on this bypass?”
    His mother laughed and said, “Bingo.”
    “The vast majority is state money,” Mr. Boone said.
    “But I thought the state was cutting budgets, too.”
    “Bingo,” his mother said again, with another laugh.
    “Why do you keep saying ‘bingo,’ Mom?” Theo asked.
    “Because, Theo, you’re asking all the right questions, and there are no good answers. The bypass would be a waste of money in good times or bad, doesn’t matter, but to build it now when the city, county, and state are all out of money is ridiculous.”
    Being lawyers, neither parent was in the habit of backing down when discussing an issue. However, Theo got the impression his father’s support of the bypass was not quite as strong as his mother’s opposition. There was another lull in the conversation, then with perfect timing, a spokesman for the Sierra Club appeared on-screen. Mrs. Boone, firmly and proudly in control of the remote, turned up the volume. The man said, “This bypass was a rotten idea ten years ago, and it’s an even worse idea now. It crosses Red Creek in two places and will harm the quality of the city’s water. It will be built very close to Jackson Elementary School, so there will be twenty-five thousand vehicles a day, many of them big trucks, running right by a playground where four hundred kids are playing. Think of the noise and pollution.”
    Mrs. Boone increased the volume even more.
    The man from the Sierra Club went on, “The environmental impact has not been carefully studied. This project is being rammed through by the politicians who get paid off by the trucking companies.”
    Next was another politician, and Mrs. Boone quickly muted the television.
    “What’s the Sierra Club?” Theo asked.
    “A bunch of radical tree huggers,” his father said.
    “It’s one of the greatest environmental groups in the world,” his mother said.
    “Okay,” Theo said, and took a bite. Like most kids, Theo actually enjoyed these rare moments when his parents disagreed. He decided to keep the debate going. “I’m confused,” he said. “If the state and city are broke, then where does the two hundred million dollars come from?”
    “Ask your father,” Mrs. Boone said quickly, punting the ball across the den with incredible speed and accuracy.
    “They borrow it,” Mr. Boone said. “Being broke never stopped the government from spending more money. If they can’t find any money, they simply borrow what they want by floating bonds.”
    “Floating bonds?” Theo asked.
    “Now you’ve stepped into deep water,” Mrs. Boone said with another laugh.
    “Yes, it’s pretty complicated,” Mr. Boone said. “And let’s save it for another day. The important thing to understand, Theo, is that governments do not operate the way they should. Your mom and I work hard. We represent our clients. We earn fees. We spend money on salaries, office equipment, electric bills, things like that. But, we cannot spend more