I don’t mean to be facetious here, but given how many people well into their 40s don’t know politics from a turd floating at the top of the bowl, why would this be such a poor idea? 16 isn’t that far from 18, and I’m strongly in favour of anything that might get more people voting. They are citizens after all, and although it’s been awhile since my teenage years, I always wanted more responsibility at that age and to be a part of something important. Bonus points if curriculum could be made to include how the political process works at each level and how they interact. I can only speak for Canada in regards to how badly politics is taught in school, but I don’t imagine it’s much better due south. I had to go to university to get taught anything more than broad strokes.
Regarding the voting age; I'm not saying I'm for or against it, I'm just saying I find it ironic that people who say a 20 y/o is not mentally ready to gamble at a casino are also saying a 16 y/o is mentally ready to make choices that could affect the country for the next X number of years.
I agree with you, but the reality is that people that young are the only age group in great numbers willing to be the man on the ground. You get older, you get wiser, your brain develops, you (hopefully) develop more empathy, you might have a spouse and children by then. A lot of young guys join because they have no professional prospects or have something to prove. Obviously this is super broad strokes but from the guys I know who enlisted (not went to college then went the officer route), it applies to them all in some version or form. The military abuses the naivety and strength of youth. Some stick with it for the career, or lack of options on the outside. But they mostly get sucked in young, and because of how well it works, it will never change.
But, I also think war is Mostly Bad, so maybe having smaller armies of older, more brain developed adults would be okay; having less people fighting each other over the globe would be great. But, that ain't reality, and a standing army is also a deterrent, so we carry our big stick made up largely of young men full of vitality and fighting spirit. Anyway, not the point of the conversation.
As requested: "I’m 14 and terrified. No school shootings have really happened in my area, but that’s how it always is, isn’t it? It’s just a normal day and then it’s not. I was in kindergarten when Sandy Hook happened. My mom didn’t want to send me to school. I remember her crying one morning because she didn’t want to let me leave. When there was a code yellow in kindergarten, she drove there the second she heard about it and tried to run in the school to get me, but she was stopped. That night, she clutched onto me for two hours straight. Parents didn’t let their kids ride the bus anymore. They installed a security system and kids could only leave the school with a parent who got out of the car, but they weren’t allowed on campus until they were ID’d. We had no idea what was going on and it was so scary. In middle school, it felt like there was a new school shooting every week. It was all I heard about. We had a drills at every time of the day and kids sobbed as we arranged desks to prepare for a possible shooter situation. Every time I saw a new article about a shooting, I would cry in bed. I faked sick because I was too scared to go to school. I missed so many days I nearly failed the grade, but being in that building was torture. Any loud noise made everyone jump. We all kept our eyes on the door. Kids were too scared to go to there bathroom, as we were told we’d be locked out of the classroom if we were in the hallway during a shooting. Now, in high school, we have shooter drills every two weeks. The school is downtown so there are just about 3 code yellows (someone possibly dangerous in the area) every two months or so. Cops line the hallways. There’s talk of teachers starting to carry guns. Multiple teachers/administrators at my school have expressed how far they would go to protect us, saying that they would die before they let anyone hurt us. We’ve questioned if we could survive drops from the 3rd floor. I’ve been next to classmates as they sobbed, even just imagining that a drill is real. I’ve seen my friends freak out and nearly break down worried about their siblings whenever there’s a code yellow. Bigger kids like athletes have said that they’d stand in front of the shooter if it came to that. They search every person that comes in the building. You wanna know what they’ve done since this shooting? More guns. Some cops carry rifles now and they’ve nearly doubled in number. They stop every single person. They walk with me when I’m outside the building alone. We’re not allowed to eat lunch outside anymore. And more and more guns. Guns do not make me feel safer. Seeing hallways full of rifles and cops standing outside, hands positioned on their belt as they watch us leave school does NOT make me feel better. I’m so fucking scared and no one’s doing anything about it. I DONT WANT MORE GUNS. For the love of god please stop this. I can’t even do anything about. Have politicians supervise one school shooter drill and if they still think guns aren’t the problem then I don’t even know what to do. I’m almost numb at this point. That feeling of fear so intense you want to throw up but you’re too busy sobbing is so familiar it almost doesn’t affect me anymore. My fear means nothing. Every time another shooting happens, I just go cold inside. I feel empty. Tears come out of my eyes, my chest tightens as my heart cries out in pain, but my face doesn’t move. This is expected now, it doesn’t surprise me anymore. My first shooter drill was in preschool, we all cried. We all cried in kindergarten, too. And 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and older. Nothing’s happened. No one cares. Our tears are lost on the deaf ears of greedy politicians and brainwashed civilians. I’ve lost all hope that things will ever change. What about my constitutional right to not fucking die?"
Full disclosure; This'll be the only response this shit I give. I'm not responding, or clarifying, or anything of the sorts. I can only give this context, just so everyone knows how far back this goes(before anyone brings up Kent State, etc). I was 14 in 1997, in Bethel AK(Alaska, not Arkansas). A Student got onto the bus 3 stops down from me, with a Mossberg 500 shotgun, rode to school, and then waited and shot a sophomore, and the principal, who had barricaded his door by bracing his legs against the door. Principal was late 50's/early 60's, survived 2 tours in 'Nam, and died from 2 blasts through the door, keeping his Secretary safe. The shooter, Evan Ramsey, age 15 at the time, had been in/out of foster care since he was 5, sexually/physically assaulted multiple times, and finally placed with the Superintendent of schools for Bethel his Freshman year. He had been previously diagnosed with FAS(fetal alcohol syndrome), along with other developmental issues. Sophomore was a star point guard Josh Palacios, and having witnessed it, a bully to Evan. They nicknamed him "Screech". It's the same trope that you think it is. I didn't know him very well. I used to sit next to him, and watch him play DOOM before school. I didn't have many friends, having moved from CT up there only the previous August. I knew he had issues, but I was 7th grade, and I pretty much hung out in a different wing. The computer lounge was where I would play solitaire, since every computer had it. When the 1st BANG happened, we thought 1 of the foldable lunch tables had collapsed again, until the screaming started. Kids rushed in, locked the door, and I remember pushing younger female girls under the admin desk. I watched 2 state wrestling finalists(different classes) battle on the floor, 1 trying to get out, 1, a state-trooper's son, doing everything to keep him in. It was almost 2 hours until someone banged on the door and identified themselves. I wish I could say I'm sad/mad/furious. But I'm 38. I have a wife, who grew up with Active Shooter Drills. I watched Columbine, as a sophomore, and sighed and went about school. I've seen every other incident, and I can remember the smell of gunfire. My heart races for a few minutes, and then, business as usual. I just can't envision bringing a child into this system, with this type of fear. I....I'm just out of words or ways to describe what it feels like. Because if I start talking about it, I'll start yelling about it, and if I start yelling about it, I'll start screaming about it. I don't have a pro/anti gun stance. Guns are tools, and they do whatever the person tells them to do. But MAAAANNN, we could do something about this. If you told me at 14, I'd be 38 and this shit would be WORSE, I'm not sure I'd still be here.
Nancy yo' boy is straight wilin'. https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/29/politics/paul-pelosi-arrested-dui/index.html
At his level of wealth why is he even driving anymore? Why would anyone? Get a Phantom and just pay someone $100k to take you everywhere, that'd be a fraction of your annual dividend.
Yea no kidding, you gotta make that insider trading money work for you. The last thing I feel like doing at 36 is being drunk at midnight, not sure what this guy is doing at 82.
I live amongst a bunch of 65+ year old party animals. I don't know how they do it either. Like, I can drink with them for an afternoon, still in bed by 10:00 while they're still drinking and setting off fireworks. Last night sounded like a warzone here. Next day, they're back at it and I'm hating myself for the previous day's choices. Guess I'm a one-night-wonder when it comes to partying anymore.