Why would anyone think 16 year-olds should be allowed to vote?

[MsAmerica]

Be honest - think back to when you were 16. Did you have an understanding of a broad range of issues? Did you pay serious attention to national news? Okay, even many adults may lapse on the score, but still, it seems crazy to me.

In the U.S., voting age had been 21 and the only reason it was lowered to 18 was that teens were being drafted to fight in Vietnam, and it was felt as unfair for them to have no say.

Call it private education tax and you won't have any complaints from me

Now, back to the thread about voting.

in that case, what did you mean by
’Private school is a luxury, education isn't and therefore isn't taxed.’

😂

Your complaints don’t make the slightest bit of sense tbh, but agree back to the thread.

I wondered that. I feel that might be where the whole argument stumbles (to the reasonable person).

After reading the comments, it’s very clear there a lot of people who support policies without understanding the basic consequences or being able to articulate why they support them. I really think we should be having some sort of critical thinking test before allowing the vote, regardless of age.

I get the feeling there’s just a big misunderstanding about this policy and I think a lot of people don’t really want to admit they didn’t understand it when they originally supported it. Its quite infuriating, there’s really no shame in changing your mind once you have more information.

The " no VAT is a subsidy" point that people regularly make is quite peculiar. If they were arguing that private school parents are subsidising the taxpayer I could see their point, but...

It is not an admission of any kind, just to be clear. Your indulgence in whataboutery on the subject is completely irrelevant.

But it is not the case that everyone had access. Only those wealthy enough to afford it did. And it is not possible for everyone to acquire that level of wealth.

There's a difference between having access (as in no one is barred from having a private school education) and being unable to afford it. There's an awful lot of things I can't afford yet I am not barred from having.

Would it make you feel better if instead of ‘access to’ I said the ‘ legal right to’?

Amazing.

So private education is - therefore - a luxury.

Why does education suddenly become a luxury when the local authority don’t decide how your children are educated?

If you voted for Brexit or Tory in 2019, you have found a benefit!

Maybe if 16 year olds had the vote then, it wouldn't have happened.

Nice derail though

Once again (all together now !)

Private education.

Maybe we need some artificial intelligence on the case. Raise the quality of this thread.

(Or is this were we discover this actually is "AI" at work ?😀)

And once again..,all the ‘private’ bit means is not state so why is education a luxury when not provided by the state? It’s a clear question

I think at this point in, you are better off asking someone who cares.

The state provides education, free of charge (other than general taxation). Everyone has a right to it. If you want bells and whistles, you have the choice (this word is key) to not use this provision and pay for private education instead. You still have the right to state education, but you choose to use the luxury product. Hence VAT. This really shouldn't be hard to understand.

I was asking the person who stated it, but don’t worry I never really expected any sort of rational explanation to back it up. There isn’t one.

How do you define "luxury"? Is it something that you simply can't afford?

Because it’s beyond the means of the vast majority of the population. Luxury by its very definition is something available only to people who have the money for non necessities.

Just because you don't use a state provided facility doesn't mean that the alternative is a "luxury".

Spot on.