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This is a country where people are able to take out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans and kill or be killed in a foreign war before we trust them to buy
by freehunter 7y ago
This is a country where people are able to take out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans and kill or be killed in a foreign war before we trust them to buy alcohol or cigarettes, and before we trust them to rent a car. And the same country's legal system will treat a preteen child as an adult and sentence them to life in prison (Lionel Tate, 2001).
Maybe "at some point we need to be able to hold people accountable for their actions" but the first step might be figuring out an actual age where they can be held accountable. Perhaps the youngest age someone should be able to take out student loans is 21, when they're able to buy a pack of smokes and a case of beer? Or maybe 12, when they're responsible enough to serve life in prison?
- Godel_unicode 7y agoGiven that Tate's sentence was overturned for reasons of mental competency, I think we can safely put that example to bed.
- harry8 7y agoBut not overturned because he wasn't tried as a minor? If so the point absolutely stands nowhere near a bed if what is being discussed is the application of law based on age.
- Godel_unicode 7y agoMental competency in this case referers to the capacity of a 12 year old to reason about the consequences of his actions. In other words, 12 year olds are not adults and cannot be treated like adults.
- pylua 7y agoI would argue that people are buying an expensive investment that doesn't pay off. It doesn't pay off because the product is defective -- college often doesn't lead to hire salaries. Often times admissions has turned into an unregulated used car industry where lemons are legally bought and sold each day.