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Originally Posted by Punk.of.Ages
I'm getting away from my point a little, so let me make it clear, I agree that working should have nothing to do with voting. I was just pointing out that if a child earns no money, they don't pay taxes. They don't pay for anything on their own, and, therefore, taxes aren't a loss to them.
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What does "pay for anything on their own" mean? Getting money as a gift means a transfer of the ownership of that money. If you don't think children pay for anything, feel free to visit a drug store near an elementary school at around 2:30 p.m.
I got an allowance from I don't know how old because I did chores and such around the house, which mean I had undeclared income long before I was 14 to spend how I saw fit, and every dollar I spent on a taxable item was taxes. I paid taxes long before I was 18, and so did you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Punk.of.Ages
My point is that I disagree that just anybody should have the right to vote. What happens when we turn your floodgate analogy around 180 degrees? Do we allow five year olds to vote? Mental capacity and experience have to come into account here. That's what becoming an adult, and taking on the responsibilities included, is all about. Just like everything else being discussed in this thread, the age limit should be set at when one is determined an adult. Our society has deemed that determination as the age of 18.
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If mental capacity and experience are not prerequisites for adults to vote, why should they be for children?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Punk.of.Ages
Because that is the age we choose to make people accountable for their own actions, that should also be the age we're allowed to make any decisions and be accountable for those as well. Sure, a 14 year old can be arrested and convicted of a crime, but, unless it's a particularly heinous crime, they'll also get little more than a smack on the wrist.
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We try kids as young as 14 as adults all the time. Some people arrested and convicted before turning 18 are serving life sentences.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Punk.of.Ages
When you're a child in this country, your parents represent your opinion. That is how we have set things up. Until that changes as a whole, voting is something that should be left to adults.
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My parents both voted Republican in 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, and my dad in 2000. They did not represent my views.
---------- Post added at 01:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:52 PM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jozrael
Btw, I wasn't joking. I believe the age of consent should be 12. It's only recently in human history that we've arbitrarily decided 18 is the age of maturity, and decided that that (or a couple years earlier) is when you're allowed to start having sex.
I believe at puberty, there are theoretically some children able to give their consent. It's got to be what -they- want though, and I totally understand introducing age-difference restrictions so that those in a position of power over them can't abuse their position. Were the age of consent lowered to 12, we would need a slew of new laws to protect the children in similar ways that they are today. But I don't believe that a blanket ban saying 'sex is wrong' is entirely appropriate until age 16ish.
Obviously I need to give more thought to this to really convey a proper position.
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Knowing consent to sex is a tricky thing. Some young adults are mature enough to make a proper determination, but some aren't. Shoot, some adults don't have the maturity or experience to make a proper determination.