Age of Majority

[Toni]

I dunno; having been a 16 year old in a country where 18 year olds could buy alcohol, I can say from personal experience that it isn't very easy to get alcohol in that situation.

It's pretty easy to get alcohol as a 16 year old. Or 14 year old with the legal age at 21. Lowering it would make it worse.

Voting is, in theory, something younger people should be able to handle - there is plenty of time to think, research and consult before you cast your ballot, and assuming a secret ballot, there is little opportunity for effective peer pressure. Of course, young people tend to be radical rather than conservative, so lowering the voting age is generally seen as a bad plan by those in power, as there is nothing in it for them.

I disagree: Few 16 year olds are politically engaged. They are too removed from seeing how the results affect them, have too many other competing needs/ideas. They aren't going to take the time to become informed, for the most part.

I'm not concerned about peer pressure. I'm concerned about the effects of advertising and political campaigns. There is a huge industry (and a very successful television show) devoted to advertising, and the key demographic is young people. I'm not interested in seeing the political machine using that to go at kids who are thinking about passing calc and going to the prom and what college they should go to and if they are pregnant, or if Kyle really likes them or if they might be gay or when their parents are going to lighten up....