Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Voting Age: Zero

It can't get any more surreal than it already is.
  (+8, -3)
(+8, -3)
  [vote for,
against]

Why don't we just lower the voting age to zero (birth)?

Argument: we hardly can get anyone from the ages of 18-21 to vote as it is. Ages 22-26 vote only a little more often, and interest in voting increases with age, until you get little old ladies voting for Strom Thurmond because he's their idea of a hunk. What we have now is a kind of de facto gerontocracy. This needs a little balancing out. So what's the harm in letting little Johnny cast his vote if he wants?

Besides, most of the kiddies wouldn't even if they could. When's the last time you heard little Raggedy Ann and little Raggedy Andy screaming "I wanna vote! I wanna vote! I wanna, I wanna, I wanna! If you don't let me vote, I'll hold my breath until I turn blue! So there!" If we let EVERYONE vote, I don't think that politicians would start catering to the all-important five year-old demographic. What's the worst that could happen? More playgrounds? More ice cream?

deacon, May 14 2001

Association for Children's Suffrage http://www.brown.ed...Childrens_Suffrage/
[egnor, May 14 2001, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Kids Vote Page http://gwis2.circ.g...kidsshouldvote.html
[egnor, May 14 2001, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Another one for <stdarg.com>? http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/No_20taxes
[egnor, May 14 2001, last modified Oct 17 2004]


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Annotation:







       This is not a new idea, and it has been and is being discussed to death elsewhere. Do we really need to discuss it here?
egnor, May 14 2001
  

       The Museum of Science and Industry had something like this.... you input your age range, and selected the three issues that were most important to you.   

       From the 0-5 age range, I think the top two were Abortion and Apartheid in that order.   

       Apparently the kids just pick whoever is first on the ballot. I'm changing my name to Aaron Aardvark.
pnewp, May 14 2001
  

       Oh, I must fishbone this. For two major reasons. One, when I was born, my dad would have voted Republican on my behalf. Two, my twelve-year-old would vote Republican. Oh, where have I gone wrong?
globaltourniquet, May 14 2001
  

       McDonalds is a large and wealthy corporation because young children *do* vote on issues that concern them, and their "governments" listen.
beauxeault, May 14 2001
  

       McDonald's is a large and wealthy corporation because they know how to buy children with advertising.
dbsousa, May 17 2003
  

       Shazam!   

       (director) Next.   

       BAM!   

       (Next.)   

       Badabing! Badaboom!   

       (Who let these guys in?)
galukalock, May 18 2003
  

       "What's the worst that could happen? More playgrounds? More ice cream?"   

       Well, yes. But why would we spend money on that rather than oh, say, a cure for AIDS or cancer?   

       Plus if a politician handed out candy to a child he/she would automatically get the child's vote. (Hey wait... I'll do the same thing for money.)
ender13, Jun 12 2003
  


 

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