Discussion of money in the bank is a common theme. However,discussion of money in a bank with State Treasure Tate Reeves andLincoln County youth – some not even old enough to vote – isnot.

That is exactly what happened at a meet and greet eventsponsored by the Lincoln County Teenage Republicans and theRepublican Women of Lincoln County on Tuesday evening at the Bankof Brookhaven.

“You’d have to be hiding under a rock to not know we’reexperiencing rough economic times,” Reeves said.

While some of the time spent was about going over the same stone- the economy is bad and there is no quick fix – the main focus ofthe night was on the youth that listened in on a topic that canoften confuse most adults.

“We try to emphasize education on all levels. I tried to usetime tonight to focus on educational matters,” Reeves said.”Financial literacy is something we need to all strive for, in allof Mississippi.”

Reeves addressed everyone in attendance when he said the blamefor the current economic crises could be shared between New Yorkand Washington, but he added that some of the blame needs to be onourselves.

The fault for poor financial decisions, he continued, is due inpart to the lack of knowledge in financial literacy. Reevesstressed it is important to teach kids young so they can make gooddecisions later in life.

To tackle the challenge of educating youth about finances,Reeves teamed up with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees,the National Football League and Visa to show off “FinancialFootball.”

The game features Brees on the cover and is played like thepopular “Madden” football video game. However, players must answerfinancial literacy questions to move the ball.

A copy of the game was given to each high school in the state.The game can also be found online and is available for download onthe iPhone.

“He’s pretty cool,” said Brennan Laird, 16 and a member of theLincoln County Teenage Republicans, when asked what he thought ofthe treasurer.

Reeves thought highly of the young group members as well.

“I always cherish the opportunity to speak to young people,especially those willing to get out there,” Reeves said.

In addition to economics, Reeves told the teenage Republicansthat politics was a team sport and that they were learning thevaluable life lessons of teamwork and hard work.

“The point is, you can make a difference in your own life orothers.” Reeves said.

It is the kind of advice given by Reeves that Lincoln CountyTeenage Republicans Sponsor Cindy Moore says she invites Republicanofficials in office to speak at these events.

“These are great opportunities for students to meet publicofficials and hear from them the importance of being an informedcitizen, developing leadership skills and being involved in thecommunity,” Moore said.