NationStates Jolt Archive

"Well, I went to my congressman. He sent me back a note. It said, 'I'd like to help you, hon, but youre too young to vote.'"
- Eddie Cochrain

This was the quote given at the bottom of the webpage of the National Youth Rights Association (http://youthrights.org/). It's an organization devoted to the simple goal of fighting 'the last civil rights movement' - which also happens to be their slogan. They cover a wide spectrum of issues but the ones most commonly addressed are the curfew, voting age, driving age, and drinking age.

I am a minor, as I'm sure many of you also are, and I certainly understand how we're treated like second-class citizens as if age is an accomplishment. I just wanted to see how the rest of you felt.

"hon"? "Too young too vote"? What a fucking demeaning letter. When you are eligable to vote, you know who not to vote for!

I'm sorry, but you only have to look at webforums like these to see that allowing under-18s to play a part in the political process is a bad idea.

To be fair, there should be some limit. Some people mature early, and some people never mature. It's impossibl to account for all of them.

I'm sorry, but you only have to look at webforums like these to see that allowing under-18s to play a part in the political process is a bad idea.
I'm not so sure minors are any more irrational in who they choose than the masses. We justs elected a man baised on his faith when faith isn't supposed to even be allowed in government. All people are weak minded and impressionable who's to say minor make worse voters?

You needed another option. You shouldn't be able to vote unless you've served in the military for two years to earn the right to vote first. But that wasn't there so I said 18.

I'm not so sure minors are any more irrational in who they choose than the masses. We justs elected a man baised on his faith when faith isn't supposed to even be allowed in government. All people are weak minded and impressionable who's to say minor make worse voters?

Since when is Faith not allowed in the government? You should go read about our first two presidents again...

You needed another option. You shouldn't be able to vote unless you've served in the military for two years to earn the right to vote first. But that wasn't there so I said 18.
That would really suck for people who would never make the grade for medical reasons* and would be difficult to implement in the absence of national service, as the US military does not require that quantity of manpower.

* A member of the family missed out on the opportunity of flying as navigator on strategic bombers, because of a predisposition to nose bleeds in low pressure atmosphere. Imagine if something as stupid as the shape of your sinuses disenfranchised you.

Look, just because you want to go out and drink, and drive, and smoke, or whatever, doesnt mean you should. Kids are irresponsible, only a rare few are responsible. There is a reason why there are age restrictions on things.

People are easily swayed by people to do things that the normally wouldnt (voting for certain candidates...drinking, etc) and kids are even more so.

I'd like to help you, hon, but youre too young to vote.'"

Replace hon with son and that is verbatim a line from Gary Allan's country hit "Summer Time Blues".

You needed another option. You shouldn't be able to vote unless you've served in the military for two years to earn the right to vote first. But that wasn't there so I said 18.

You should join the NS Meritocratic Representative Republicans. :D

You needed another option. You shouldn't be able to vote unless you've served in the military for two years to earn the right to vote first. But that wasn't there so I said 18.
Thank you, but no. I make damn sure to vote every election, even when 5,000 miles away from home and I wouldn't want to miss out by being 4F thanks to being deaf.

Besides, my family has the tradition that you're not allowed to complain about the idiot in office unless you either voted for or against him/her in the last election.

You needed another option. You shouldn't be able to vote unless you've served in the military for two years to earn the right to vote first. But that wasn't there so I said 18.

Or we could all be fascists. You know, something easy like that.


Honestly? Serving in the military in order to vote. Dumb idea. Thats the nice thing about a volunteer army. You get to volunteer if you want in, you're not forced. I for one don't want to join the army, so why should I not be allowed to vote? Simply because I chose to use diplomacy over bombs?

That would really suck for people who would never make the grade for medical reasons* and would be difficult to implement in the absence of national service, as the US military does not require that quantity of manpower.

* A member of the family missed out on the opportunity of flying as navigator on strategic bombers, because of a predisposition to nose bleeds in low pressure atmosphere. Imagine if something as stupid as the shape of your sinuses disenfranchised you.

What are you talking about? If they had service for your country before the right to vote clauses, they might allow you to join and be a pencil pusher, or a day-care watcher for the other service personnel, or sweep the hospital floor and change the paper towels in the head ~ it doesn’t matter what you’d do, maybe allow red-cross volunteers for two years as well if they are of a pre-existing conscientious objector group..

But either way, serve at least four years of crappy pay, hard work and service for others and taking orders to learn what it's like to be alive and on your own before you get to start voting during your second year of service and you still have two to go.

Or we could all be fascists. You know, something easy like that.


Honestly? Serving in the military in order to vote. Dumb idea. Thats the nice thing about a volunteer army. You get to volunteer if you want in, you're not forced. I for one don't want to join the army, so why should I not be allowed to vote? Simply because I chose to use diplomacy over bombs?

Who said anything about forced? You don't have to join and you don't have to vote... How many young people don't vote anyway, except they are publicly embarrassed so they vote for whomever their friends tell them to. My way they'd be more comfortable not voting...

You'd not be able to vote because you refused to risk yourself for the protection of the state and your fellow citizens. But you protest because you want to be able to vote for someone that will have the power to send people who do serve into harm's way to protect your interests?

Nah, no risk, no vote.

I don't think voting should have anything to do with age, but rather intelligence. STUPID PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO VOTE!

As to the whole drinking age, as an Australian I can say that you whacky Americans have the bar set way too high. 21? Crazy! When Americans come over here, they show a marked immaturity towards alcohol (especially if they're not yet 21) - think Rodd and Todd Flanders with the sherbert in that episode of the Simpsons where Homer and Ned become friends. You go so long without it that when you do finally get to start drinking, you don't know how to handle it. Our legal drinking age is 18, and it works just fine. Heck, the Germans are drinking at 14! Personally, I think something like 16 is a far more appropriate age, but, being over 18, I don't really care a whole bunch any more.

You'd not be able to vote because you refused to risk yourself for the protection of the state and your fellow citizens. But you protest because you want to be able to vote for someone that will have the power to send people who do serve into harm's way to protect your interests?

Nah, no risk, no vote.
Been reading Starship Troopers have we? The problem is just that though, if you are an able bodied youth, it's a great idea until the federal service gets more people than it could possibly want or need. If you are disabled though... what do you do?

Been reading Starship Troopers have we? The problem is just that though, if you are an able bodied youth, it's a great idea until the federal service gets more people than it could possibly want or need. If you are disabled though... what do you do?

Depends on what kind of disabled... Serve in any way that they can work.


Besides, Starship Troopers got the idea from the Greeks. Serve or shut up was about the basics of city-state citizenship, some worse than others.

I voted 16, but I meant 18. I think 18 should be the across the board age for things - voting, drinking, military service, driving, leaving school, etc. Preferably not all on the exact same day though.

I voted 16, but I meant 18. I think 18 should be the across the board age for things - voting, drinking, military service, driving, leaving school, etc. Preferably not all on the exact same day though.


aw why not? sounds like one hell of a day to me.

I voted 16, but I meant 18. I think 18 should be the across the board age for things - voting, drinking, military service, driving, leaving school, etc. Preferably not all on the exact same day though.
GET THE F--- OUT OF THE BUILDING! NOW! Into that truck! Drive! Stop here! Punch this card! Good. Now the pint. DOWN IN ONE! DOWN IN ONE!

Congratulations, you are now a Man.

Haha. :p That would be a hell of a rite of passage.

GET THE F--- OUT OF THE BUILDING! NOW! Into that truck! Drive! Stop here! Punch this card! Good. Now the pint. DOWN IN ONE! DOWN IN ONE!

Congratulations, you are now a Man.

Haha. :p That would be a hell of a rite of passage.

Hmmm, put it that way & I suddenly want to be 18 again. :D