Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Hate Saying “I Told You So,” But…
In light of America’s youth getting a field trip pass to skip school and protest the Second Amendment and the NRA, we get this gem from The New York Times: “Unfortunately, when it comes to electing lawmakers whose decisions about gun control and other issues affect their lives, these high schoolers lack any real power. This needs to change: The federal voting age in the United States should be lowered from 18 to 16.“
Almost two years ago I predicted this would be the Left’s next war on common sense in the post Let Children Vote!
For most young adults the heart speaks louder than boring, pesky realities like fiscal responsibility and history repeatedly demonstrating failed big government solutions.
The emotional voter fits the left’s demographic outreach like a dovetail joint. After decades of ingratiating themselves in the power structure of higher education and promoting leftist causes in primary school (ie: global warming) they are eager to now cement their hold on children at an ever earlier age.
The efforts by the left are purposeful. They intend to destabilize elections, decrease the impact of conservatives across state and federal governments. They know that 8-10 million children can easily be organized in schools as a captive audience and transported to polls en masse in GOTV efforts.
Progressives understand that once they own the children, they own the future.
The mainstream media are now supporting extreme Leftist groups who are working to lower the voting age so those who weren’t even zygotes on 9/11/01 can cancel your vote.
The Washington Post analyzed The Surprising Consequence of Lowering the Voting Age where, based on the title, I hoped for some sanity. Nope. After an entire treatise on the benefits of children voting (spoiler: their parents may then also vote more), the very last line in the very last paragraph suggested one caveat: “Research from Norway, on the other hand, concludes that young voters are less mature in how they make those decisions.”
Have no doubt. The Left hates to lose and is working overtime to get power back in both state and federal offices. After decades of pushing their Marxist agenda, they realize their message of open borders, higher taxes, and extremist cultural issues don’t sit well with most voters.
To achieve the change of management they desire so they can get back to growing an unbridled centralized government largely owned by progressive special interests, they need to expand the voting pool, preferably with minds they can control.
They intend to do this by providing voter registration to anyone with a drivers license (illegal immigrants apply) and now to children who have no concept of economic systems, have never owned a business or made payroll, seen what FICA even is, have never owned a home nor have any skin in the game.
But children do have plenty of “feels,” so who better to vote for restricting both civil and religious liberties and the constitutional rights of those they disagree with.
Children, only a few years post sprouting puberty, have no place in a voting booth as their only reference to serious political issues is an embryonic understanding of the world filtered through emotional arguments presented by pop culture, unhinged activists, and leftist teachers.
The voting age was once 21 and after the Left pushed the issue for 30 years, it was lowered to 18 in 1971 under the 26th Amendment. The Left wants to ratify the 26th. After seeing the cultural rot of the past 50 years, especially in formerly red states like California, I agree it’s time to ratify the 26th Amendment — by making the voting age 21 again.
Published in General
Yes. And in addition to being married with 2 kids at age 26, I forgot to mention my dad also had a mortgage. The millennials don’t even buy cars.
I think it’s prosperity. People my age (not me) were out tasseling corn and bailing hay at 12 and my dad regularly drove a coal truck from Ohio to Alabama and back at 14. Everyone wanted to grow up! They already had the responsibilities, they wanted to be old enough for the perks (including sex within marriage). Think about how young our parents were when they married compared to people waiting for their first marriage now until their late twenties or early thirties.
Kids today complain about “adulting.” And they want to be able to vote on policies and candidates they don’t begin to understand? Sad.
Actually, as Prager says, it’s the Left that wants them to vote, because the Left understands that the same poor judgment (compounded by indoctrination in public schools) they share makes them natural constituents. Even “adult” leftists have the mentality of a 16-year-old.
That’s not a compliment, in case there’s any question.
Yeah but can they afford houses? The prices have been skyrocketing, I don’t think Millennials can buy starter homes for anything near the price Boomers could, even accounting for inflation.
I am good with any age in the 18-21 range, and am fully on board with this age of majority concept and commensurate expectations. My only concern would be driving… I would suggest that practical reasons resulted in licensing at 16, and those can’t just be wished away. Autonomous cars are not here, and there are lots of people in the 16-18 cohort who can’t just hop onto public transport at all, much less convenient and practical public transport. And I would hate to see that as an excuse to push denser living.
Driving is the one area I would be willing to budge on. But I wouldn’t on age of consent, and would crack down on underage sex. Give them a reason to want to grow up. Worked for guys my age.
The whole system has been a scam for at least three decades.
Except for the pregnancies…..