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Eighteen Is Too Young to Vote
- blacksqr 6y ago> Today’s adolescent voters aren’t allowed to drink and aren’t drafted to fight a war. History shows the draft part changes quickly once the shooting starts. How about a law that says the minimum military service age can't be less than the minimum voting age?
- jfengel 6y agoAnd 65 is too old to vote. Mental flexibility decreases, and senility sets in, as do degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. You no longer have children in school and you're no longer working for a living, leaving you dangerously out of touch with the needs of the majority of the country. So tell ya what, Dr. Gelertner. I'll accept raising the lower bound when you agree to establish an upper bound. Because otherwise all I'm seeing is a call to exclude your ideological opponents rather than a rational consideration of who should be allowed to make decisions.
- pmdulaney 6y agoGelertner, jfengel, and blacksqr all make good points. But I think the most helpful metaphor is that of obtaining a driver's license. Everyone knows that 16-year-old drivers are not quite there in terms of competence and judgment. But you have to start somewhere. As a conservative I sympathize with Gelertner, but I think he's wrong.