Monday, March 08, 2004
Sure, let's let 14 year olds vote.
Unbelievable. California lawmakers want to extend the vote to children as young as 14.
The AP writer doesn't tell us what political party these "representatives" belong to, but we are told that Republicans don't like it.
How much you wanna bet these are Democrat lawmakers behind this? Most kids in the 14-18 group would likely vote Democrat, particularly with all their empty promises regarding education and utopia in general. What better way to increase the number of Democratic voters (besides extending the franchise to illegal aliens, that is)?
After years of teaching college (and a few teaching high school), it seems to me it would be a wiser move to raise the voting age to 21, or even 30--at least until after you've outgrown the urge to pierce body parts other than the ear lobe. The argument that "the Internet, cellular phones, multichannel television and a diverse society makes today's teens better informed than their predecessors" is ridiculous on the face of it. Sure, teens have access to a wealth of information, but what information are they actually accessing? Total Request Live on MTV and video clips of Paris Hilton?
Honestly--watch a few segments of "Jaywalking" on The Tonight Show and you'll want to rescind a lot of people's voting rights. The sad thing is that your average college freshman is only slightly better informed in political matters than the people Leno is poking fun at--just teach a composition class if you don't believe me.
The AP writer doesn't tell us what political party these "representatives" belong to, but we are told that Republicans don't like it.
How much you wanna bet these are Democrat lawmakers behind this? Most kids in the 14-18 group would likely vote Democrat, particularly with all their empty promises regarding education and utopia in general. What better way to increase the number of Democratic voters (besides extending the franchise to illegal aliens, that is)?
After years of teaching college (and a few teaching high school), it seems to me it would be a wiser move to raise the voting age to 21, or even 30--at least until after you've outgrown the urge to pierce body parts other than the ear lobe. The argument that "the Internet, cellular phones, multichannel television and a diverse society makes today's teens better informed than their predecessors" is ridiculous on the face of it. Sure, teens have access to a wealth of information, but what information are they actually accessing? Total Request Live on MTV and video clips of Paris Hilton?
Honestly--watch a few segments of "Jaywalking" on The Tonight Show and you'll want to rescind a lot of people's voting rights. The sad thing is that your average college freshman is only slightly better informed in political matters than the people Leno is poking fun at--just teach a composition class if you don't believe me.
