Beyond The Broken Spectrum

The age of adulthood — and the rights and responsibilities that come with it — is largely a matter of opinion. Age 18 traditionally separates minors from adults. But one can’t legally buy a drink in America until age 21. Meanwhile, many states are now sending minors into the adult criminal justice system, even for nonviolent crimes.

Some laws make no sense. For instance, 20 states ban driving while cell-phoning, but only for those under 18. Not only is this activity dangerous for all drivers, teen brains are actually better wired for multitasking than those of 60-year-olds. Many elderly people can no longer safely operate vehicles, but no state automatically takes the keys away for reason of advanced age.

Our society’s age-specific approaches often boil down to curbing the freedoms of the young — and increasing their punishments. Such contradictions bother Brian Wilcox, director of the Center on Children, Families and the Law at the University of Nebraska.

“Sometimes we draw these lines because policy makers want to do something about an issue but don’t want to offend all the constituents out there,” Wilcox told me. “They take the easy route by going after young people.” Read More

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This is exactly why young people should be highly politically active and voting in every election. The government is suppressing your rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness by dictating to you your personal life and spending money you haven’t even dreamed of making yet. The time to act is now, not some “convenient” time in the future.

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