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Originally Posted by Punk.of.Ages
If the kid doesn't have a job, he's not spending his own money. This means said kid is not being taxed. Whoever gave him the money is.
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That's not how ownership works. If money is given, the ownership changes. Besides, what if that kid earned the money raking grandma's front yard? That's not even a gift, it's a real contribution.
Some kids have paper routes as young as 12, btw (at least they did when I had a paper route about 12 years ago).
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Originally Posted by Punk.of.Ages
This was illegal. This shouldn't happen, and this not happening should be, and is, handled by the people who do have a say.
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Regardless, elected officials do create and enforce laws to which children are subject. A 14 year old can be charged with breaking the law. A 14 year old can be arrested for breaking the law, but cannot be a part of the process by which we elect law makers? That's patently unfair and, frankly, it's possibly unconstitutional.
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Originally Posted by Punk.of.Ages
Why not? If you don't contribute to your community, why be able to have a say in how it's ran?
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Because voting is a right, not a privilege. We allow unemployed people to vote because they still pay taxes and they still are subject to our laws. Being citizen means paying taxes and obeying the law in exchange for governmental services and the right to vote.
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Originally Posted by Punk.of.Ages
I'm just saying that children have no real responsibility, and aren't made to make adult decisions. Voting is a right that comes with a lot of responsibility and involves adult decisions.
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In theory, sure, but in practice voting is more often the result of partisanship or ignorance. We can't disallow the right to vote based on merits because it opens the floodgates. What if today we make it illegal for unemployed people to vote and tomorrow we make it so that the amount of taxes you pay determines how much your vote is worth? It's a slippery slope we shouldn't have any part of. Either everyone can vote or everyone can vote. There's no half-way.