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Old 10-16-2007, 11:16 AM   #82 (permalink)
Willravel
... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JinnKai
They ALREADY have that reason! After they're 18, they're given the opportuniy to "help decide major issues that effect them." A lot of high school seniors are already 18, so I'm not sure what moving it back a few years would really accomplish is increasing attention span in school. That's an entirely different issue, one related more to poor parenting than when they get to vote, in my opinion. I paid attention in my civics and government classes, and it had nothing to do with how soon I'd be able to vote. Add in the fact that major elections are on two/four year intervals, and you'd basically be providing nothing they won't get when they graduate, anyway.
What would it accomplish? How about multiplying high school voters by as much as 8? Having also paid attention in civics and government, I found that throughout history people have had power taken away from them by more powerful forces and that a democracy, or in our case a democratic constitutional republic, is intended to ensure that everyone can take part in being responsible for their nation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JinnKai
It becomes more and more clear that you want this becuase you really wish that Bush hadn't been elected. I'm totally with you, but I think that you'd actually make the situation worse. Conservative families typically have many more children (Bible belt, anyone?)
I made this decision long before Bush was elected. It came to me originally when I was in middleschool and I realized that only people outside of schools were allowed to vote on school funding. My citing presidential decisions was and is only to show that the argument that children should vote because they may vote irresponsibly is a double standard. I would want them to have the opportunity to vote responsibly instead of taking their opportunity because they may not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JinnKai
I don't think knowing that there are three branches of the government, "checks and balances," and two Houses of Congress really does much to "inform" voters on the issues. I don't see how things learned in school about the Gov of the US really change political opinion at all.
I had a few good teachers. They didn't just teach me the bare-bone facts, they shared modern politics. There were some very important lessons to be learned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JinnKai
No, but I was raised in a family that valued individual opinion and expression. I'm not naive enough to believe that this is common, or even close to the majority. Ask Fred Phelp's family if they'd vote the same way their Daddy does.
Fortunately for everyone, there is only one Fred Phelps. Yes, some parents might make some effort to influence their child's voting, hypothetically, but to what degree would that assumption be reasonable? How many parents do you know that would actively seek to force their child to vote for someone or something? I can't think of any.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JinnKai
That's great, except this is a sociological concern and not a pyschological concern. I really don't see how any expertise in the world could help tell us how future people will behave in a society. It's a guess. Maybe an educated guess, but a guess nonetheless.
Child psychology and an understanding of the family unit is of pinnacle importance to the issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JinnKai
Says who? Did you just make this up, becuase you thought you were good at keeping secrets from YOUR parentS? You've got to consider the massive amount of people you're talking about, and how different they all are.
You mean like going to school and taking whole classes on child psychology? Lying is an easy way to deal with the demands that parents and other authority figures put on them without having to do the honest work. A such, it starts at a young age, and can continue on into and even past adolescence. The longer one lies to someone, the better that they usually become. As such, it's not unreasonable to assume that teenagers will already have the experience of lying to their parents that's necessary to get away with it. And without corroboration, or any clues as to whom the child voted for, the parent will just have to take the child at his or her word.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JinnKai
You didn't live in my house. Being locked in your room without dinner for being a "bad boy," and not being allowed to leave until you apologize is a denial of due process, and is imprisonment. My freedom of movement is denied, as are .. well, the rest of my Consitutional rights. A minor child is considered in the custody of parents at all times, and ALL of their Constitutional rights can be suspended by that parent at any time, provided no direct mental or physical abuse can be demonstrated.
Not being fed as punishment is considered to be child abuse, and your parents could have gotten in trouble for that. I hardly see how soldiers being quartered or getting unfair bail could have possibly been done by your parents. You're being melodramatic.
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