California lawmakers propose lowering voting age to 14

AP ^ | 3/8/04 | Jim Wasserman

[graycamel]

They feel they can get the governor's office back. Easy to brainwash 14 year olds with
"The Republicans want to take away
Big Bird from 5 year olds,
School lunches from 10 year olds,
After school programs from 15 year olds,
And college loans from 20 year olds."

[FITZ]

You're right --- at least on anything involving how taxes will be raised or spent it should be those who earned that money that decide.

[Mark Felton]

"My dad thinks that servicemen under 21 should STILL be allowed to drink (again, for their contribution)."

I do also. In fact, I think 18 year olds in general should be allowed to drink.

PS: I'm 42 with an 18 yr old daughter, 14 and 12 yr old sons.

[geedee]

I can't believe they actually spent time introducing this....part of the first step of NAMBLA....give them legal rights at 14, then they can marry in SF to their sugardaddies.

Good point. Easier to lower the age limits than to keep arresting the Californicators for child molestation.

[17th Miss Regt]

Let's consider the complaints about discrimination and disenfranchisement of blacks in the 2000 election. Since this is evil and will presumably continue, we need to compensate them for the disenfranchisement that will occur in the future (due to those evil Republicans). As we are dealing with fractional votes here, compensation might take the form of a heavier weighting of their votes. Therefore, I propose the bill be amended by adding in a clause specifying that the vote of each black 14 to 17 year old shall be counted as three-fifths of a full vote. That should make Mr. Vasconcellos happy.

[unixfox]

"They are easily deceived by political charlatans."

As are most adults.

[dogbyte12]

If at 14, you can be sentenced as an adult for committing a crime, I don't see why you can't vote. We say that you are responsible enough at 14 to know that by your actions, you could spend the next 70 years in jail or be executed, but you can't understand the butterfly ballot?

That is just me though. I feel the same way about the drinking age. If 18 is old enough to kill and die, it's old enough to have a brewski.

I believe we do need to make decisions on the age of consent. I am perfectly happy with it being any number. 18, 19, 21. But it needs to be equally applied under the law. No wonder teen-agers are anti social. We send them mixed messages about their responsibilities and rights.

I propose that we make everything 18, including driving.

[LurkedLongEnough]

Good thinking. I know of an 83-year old curmudgeon who pulls the D lever because he only watches CNN and buys "gold" dollars for $1,000 apiece for their "investment value".

[weegee]

It certainly would help Michael Jackson.

[tbird5]

Don't know if any one has said this but "IT'S A WAY TO LEGALIZE HOMOSEXUALITY" down to the age of 14. This is what the gays really want there.

[weegee]

If at 14, you can be sentenced as an adult for committing a crime, I don't see why you can't vote. We say that you are responsible enough at 14 to know that by your actions, you could spend the next 70 years in jail or be executed, but you can't understand the butterfly ballot?

A 14 year old can be sentenced as an adult for certain crimes with certain mitigating circumstances. They aren't all tried that way. This is why the reports always say "will be tried as an adult". It is attypical but not unheard of.

There are 14 year olds going to medical school and other college programs. Do you want that 14 year old operating on you as an internal surgeon or would you rather wait a couple of years letting him/her assist in prodecures for a number of years?

If high school kids don't know enough about their fellow classmates to vote in student elections, what is going to get them informed about politicians in their state capital? State politics don't get the media coverage that national politics do.

I know that some juveniles are advanced and some adults are behind. The law makes a distinction between adults and juveniles. If minors can vote, take them off their parents' tax forms as dependents.

[kt56]

If CA won't secede from the Union then it's time to kick them out!!!

[paltz]

Teenagers Lobby for the Right to Vote(BARF! 3/3/04)

[Indie]

"When we gave the vote to those who didn't own property, then to women, then to persons of all colors, we added to the richness of our democratic dialogue and our own nation's integrity and its model for the world," --- DemocRAT State Senator John Vasconcellos said, calling it time to further extend the vote.

California proposes lowering voting age to 14

By JIM WASSERMAN (Direct descendent of Karl Marx! - tha malcontent)

Associated Press Writer Mar 8, 9:15 PM EST

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A proposed amendment to California's constitution would give 16-year-olds a half-vote and 14-year-olds a quarter-vote in state elections.

(ap) - Have I not been warning of this for years now?... I hope some people begin opening their eyes very soon. I don't know what more can be said. I just didn't think it was coming this soon. - tha malcontent)

The Associalistic Press - The best conservative blog next to FR!! (Click headline for the full story)

[hattend]

The old fossil is on Micheal Medved's show on KRLA right now. What an idiot.

http://www2.krla870.com/listen/

[Tulsa Brian]

I propose raising the bar to allowing only taxpayers (as opposed to the tax eaters) to vote.