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KLB wrote: ↑Fri Mar 29, 2019 11:20 am Instead of lowering the voting age to 16, how about raising it to 61? :-)

As long as I don't have to pay income taxes or property taxes until then.

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Fri Mar 29, 2019 10:15 am See.... where you've gone wrong is in giving a completely rational answer to an irrational problem.

mea culpa

I agree with the rest of your comments, with the addition that I think (B) will only hasten the inevitable collapse.

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2019 1:55 pm Skip ahead to the 28 minute mark to get to that part of the video:



What is this guy's major malfunction?

Here's my response:

1. Lower the select service draft age to 16.
2. Reinstitute the selective service draft.
3. Change the age of full majority to 16.
   1. Parents would no longer be able to claim 16-18 year old children as dependents for tax purposes.
   2. Full constitutional rights at 16 - including the right to keep and bear arms.
4. Change the drinking age to 16.
5. Raise the age of welfare eligibility to 21.
6. THEN give them the vote.

Let's see how they like that. The vote should only apply to people who have FULL rights of citizenship. Arguably, minors do not.......yet. So if they want the vote, they should have to carry the full burdens of citizenship along with it.

I think 16 is too young in a society that infantilizes teens. Modern understanding of brain development issues aside, how 21st century US society raises children is much different than hundreds of years ago in Europe. Never mind biblical times. Teens today are not, with rare exception, raised to be truly "young adults" at 18.

However, I think the inconsistency in age of majority needs to be addressed. There should be one age for voting, enlisting or registering for selective service, drinking, buying any legal firearm, entering into contracts, driving, consenting to sex, etc. That last one especially. If somebody is too immature to give legal consent for their own bodily functions, they're way too young to do something like drive a car, which could seriously injure or kill other people.

I also agree that adults, whatever age that is, should file their own independent income tax returns and not be bundled with somebody else, whether parent, grandparent, or spouse.

I have no opinion on the age of welfare eligibility, because I believe the federal program should be completely abolished. Charity should be handled by (voluntary) charities, or individuals, not by an entity that takes money by (implied or explicit) threat of force.