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| Green behind the Ears? | |
ABC-2002-11-28
Reports that the Greens want
the voting age dropped to 16, and say they have the support of the Youth Action
and Policy Association. Of course most of the Greens vote is the very young and stupid. The concept
that someone should pay for every aspect of your chosen lifestyle is quite
logical when that's all you have ever known. The idea that you may have to
support yourself is anathema to Green voters, and the experience of being one
of those that has to pay the others is something they have yet to experience. Some of them of course never do - extending their adolescence throughout
their entire lives through mixtures of welfare, study payments and a plethora
of government grants. But if the Greens believe that 16 year-olds are responsible enough to make
the critical decisions about the futures of other people (through voting),
surely they also believe they are responsible enough to make their own
decisions. Are they suggesting that 16 and 17 year-old criminal offenders face adult
courts? Are they suggesting that criminal records no longer be sealed at age 18
so they can start again? Are they suggesting that 18 year-olds have the same obligation to work and
earn money as over 18s? The Greens are the fairy-floss party - they know they can make all kinds of
irresponsible promises and adopt all kinds of silly policies because they will
never win government, and hence will never have to implement them. Who easy to
sell fairy-floss to than children? It's like giving candy to a baby!
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