Changing the Voting Age

[LOki]

I thought that Heinlein's proposal that franchise should not be a right was a pretty interesting idea.

"Starship Troopers is a political essay as well as a novel. Large portions of the book take place in classrooms, with Rico and other characters engaged in debates with their History and Moral Philosophy teachers, who are often thought to be speaking in Heinlein's voice. The overall theme of the book is that social responsibility requires being prepared to make individual sacrifice. Heinlein's Terran Federation is a limited democracy with aspects of a meritocracy based on willingness to sacrifice in the common interest. Suffrage belongs only to those willing to serve their society by at least two years of volunteer Federal Service – "the franchise is today limited to discharged veterans", (ch. XII), instead of anyone "...who is 18 years old and has a body temperature near 37 °C" The Federation is required to find a place for anyone who desires to serve, regardless of his skill or aptitude (this also includes service ranging from teaching to dangerous non-military work such as serving as experimental medical test subjects).

There is an explicitly-made contrast to the democracies of the 20th century, which according to the novel, collapsed because "people had been led to believe that they could simply vote for whatever they wanted... and get it, without toil, without sweat, without tears." Indeed, Colonel Dubois criticizes as unrealistic the famous U.S. Declaration of Independence line concerning "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". No one can stop anyone from pursuing happiness, but life and liberty are said to exist only if they are deliberately sought and paid for."​

 

[Mr.Nick]

I know this will never happen. But I am 20. And 75% of the people my age should not be allowed to vote. They have no clue about the candidates. They have no clue about the issues. They have no idea what they're voting for. They vote with their @$$. I don't like this.

Bingo kid...

I'm 31 and even idiots from my generation shouldn't be allowed to vote..

The fools from 18-30 will generally vote for anyone that promises them free shit.

That destroys the country..

They just take from the taxpayers and redistribute the wealth to their voting base.

The stimulus' are a fantastic example of that assertion - Obama paid off his union base, the GM takeover and bailout is another example of Obama bailing out his UAW union base... He wasn't going to let GM fail - that's part of his UAW union base..

It only cost the taxpayers trillions..

Who voted for him? unions, public sector workers (unions) and morons between the age of 20-30.

Wait until you have to pay for the union bailouts kid...

Pay attention to this new "jobs bill" which is nothing more than another union bailout - you'll puke coat hangers..

 

[Rocko]

I know this will never happen. But I am 20. And 75% of the people my age should not be allowed to vote. They have no clue about the candidates. They have no clue about the issues. They have no idea what they're voting for. They vote with their @$$. I don't like this.

If your criteria is that the voter should actually INFORMED about who they're voting for then you are definitely in the wrong party. The average Republican voter is THEE most uninformed voter there is.

Political Animal - The ‘most consistently misinformed media viewers’


They should actually LOWER the voting age to 16 bub, not raise it.

You didn't even make a case for why they should lower it, and you source was total partisan bullshit.

Check this out.

PolitiFact | Jon Stewart says those who watch Fox News are the "most consistently misinformed media viewers"

 

[Rocko]

If you are considered mature enough to join the military and put your life on the line for the country at 18 then you are old enough to vote.

So how bout we only let teens who are in the military vote??

Personally all these movements, like Rock The Vote make me sick...they even lay guilt trips on these kids if they don't vote, and have no emphasis on understanding the issues.

If you're not informed it should be considered your civic duty NOT to vote.

Tell that to the Fox news viewers.

Fox News or republican-Democrat has nothing to do with this discusion.

 

[LOki]

The stimulus' are a fantastic example of that assertion - Obama paid off his union base, the GM takeover and bailout is another example of Obama bailing out his UAW union base... He wasn't going to let GM fail - that's part of his UAW union base...

You mean George W. Bush. Bush's stimulus bailouts that Obama validated and continued.

 

[Mr.Nick]

The stimulus' are a fantastic example of that assertion - Obama paid off his union base, the GM takeover and bailout is another example of Obama bailing out his UAW union base... He wasn't going to let GM fail - that's part of his UAW union base...

You mean George W. Bush. Bush's stimulus bailouts that Obama validated and continued.

What universe do you live in?

You just make shit up.... You are probably dumb enough to believe it too..

Bush gave working people a 500 dollar tax rebate...

That's it..

Most only got $250.00

Obama committed 3.5 trillion in spending, most of which went to unions thus far..

 

[Mr.Nick]

The best part is Bush totally predicted and claimed that the progressive spending was going to destroy the economy and that there was gong to be problems with housing if something wasn't done.

The progressives that controlled the government at the time pretty much said there was no problem and there was going to be no financial crisis..

This was back in 2006-2007...

What did we get??

Yep...

Now it's republicans fault??

I love how democrats destroy the economy then blame republicans..

The housing bubble only started with Bill fucking Clinton and that racist Al Sharpton with the CRA amendments..

Those fucking amendments allowed forced lending and guess what??? no one paid what they charged and our banking system collapsed..

Want to talk about greed? how about all these shitheads that maxed out a half dozen or so credit cards buying useless shit they knew they couldn't afford?

Wall Street is not responsible for that - first and foremost the ones who ripped off the banks are (the people) and secondly to blame is the government who forced lending in the first place.

 

[Charles_Main]

I know this will never happen. But I am 20. And 75% of the people my age should not be allowed to vote. They have no clue about the candidates. They have no clue about the issues. They have no idea what they're voting for. They vote with their @$$. I don't like this.

What we need is better Civics education.

 

[kaz]

I know this will never happen. But I am 20. And 75% of the people my age should not be allowed to vote. They have no clue about the candidates. They have no clue about the issues. They have no idea what they're voting for. They vote with their @$$. I don't like this.

75% of every age should not be allowed to vote...

 

[MarcATL]

You didn't even make a case for why they should lower it, and you source was total partisan bullshit.

Check this out.

PolitiFact | Jon Stewart says those who watch Fox News are the "most consistently misinformed media viewers"

Yeah, facts are stubborn things and tend to have a liberal bias. Funny that eh?

 

[The Rabbi]

How about we repeal EVERY amendment to the constitution about voting and let states decide what they want to do?
Are elections better or worse since 18 year olds got the right to vote?

 

[LoneLaugher]

Why in the world would you people want fewer Americans participating in our democratic process? I wonder...................

 

[Rocko]

You didn't even make a case for why they should lower it, and you source was total partisan bullshit.

Check this out.

PolitiFact | Jon Stewart says those who watch Fox News are the "most consistently misinformed media viewers"

Yeah, facts are stubborn things and tend to have a liberal bias. Funny that eh?

What facts? Did you even take look at my link?

I know it would make you feel good to think that there is conclusive data that proves fox viewers stupid, but there isn't.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Why in the world would you people want fewer Americans participating in our democratic process? I wonder...................

Too many reds is part of the reason
Than a large percentage of those reds and other people are not intelligent enough to even know why they're voting one way or another. They couldn't find there way out of a paper bag politically.

If you don't know where the Pacific ocean is you shouldn't vote. Would you agree?

 

[hortysir]

I remember the main reason I voted for Clinton was because I thought it was cool that he smoked pot..

And I was in the military, so.....

**shrug**



I guess I just made an argument in favor of testing

 

[LoneLaugher]

Why in the world would you people want fewer Americans participating in our democratic process? I wonder...................

Too many reds is part of the reason
Than a large percentage of those reds and other people are not intelligent enough to even know why they're voting one way or another. They couldn't find there way out of a paper bag politically.

If you don't know where the Pacific ocean is you shouldn't vote. Would you agree?

No.

That is crazy talk.

 

[The Rabbi]

Why in the world would you people want fewer Americans participating in our democratic process? I wonder...................

Too many reds is part of the reason
Than a large percentage of those reds and other people are not intelligent enough to even know why they're voting one way or another. They couldn't find there way out of a paper bag politically.

If you don't know where the Pacific ocean is you shouldn't vote. Would you agree?

No.

That is crazy talk.

So in your mind everyone ought to vote? Children. Mentally incompetent. Illegals. Tourists.
What a great idea. Not.

 

[LoneLaugher]

Too many reds is part of the reason
Than a large percentage of those reds and other people are not intelligent enough to even know why they're voting one way or another. They couldn't find there way out of a paper bag politically.

If you don't know where the Pacific ocean is you shouldn't vote. Would you agree?

No.

That is crazy talk.

So in your mind everyone ought to vote? Children. Mentally incompetent. Illegals. Tourists.
What a great idea. Not.

Yeah....that's EXACTLY what I said.

How often do the posts that begin with "So......" end in utter failure? I think it is a pretty high percentage.

 

[zzzz]

Maybe only people who own property should be allowed to vote. After all only white male property owners over 21 years old were allowed to vote when this experiment in Democracy (Representative government actually) started.

But that would eliminate all Hispanic, blacks, Orientals, Native Americans, women and others from voting.

Personally I have a problem with not allowing people who pay taxes the right to vote.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Go back to where we started. You have something in the game=vote.