Lowering the voting age

Hi everyone. It' s very nice to see you guys again. Well, Jane I am enjoying this debate too. Before going to my arguments, I would like to answer the question that Jane ask to me. 1.Yes I think so. As many people said our children such as high students or universities, are becoming smarter and smarter. Of course 50 years old business man keep more experience than 18years old students but I don't think that experience and voting has no relationship. 2.Sorry, Jane I remember that I didn't said that over 18 is a adults.:) 3.Even though they didn't experience, I heard in school, teacher tell them how to choose good president for our county. Plus, they have voting a president is their classroom, right? And they can experience many times to choose good president of Korea. Well, now I'm going to move to my arguments. Well, I'm going to give you guys a example of Americans just like all other Americans, young Americans pay taxes. In fact, they pay a lot of taxes. According to the IRS, teens pay an estimated $9.7 Billion dollars in sales taxes alone, not to mention many millions of taxes on income. "You may be a teen, you may not even have a permanent job, but you have to pay taxes on the money you earn." Youth pay billions in taxes to state, local, and federal governments yet they have absolutely no say over how much is taken. This is what the American Revolution was fought over; this is taxation without representation. In addition to being affected by taxes, young people are affected by every other law that Americans live under. As fellow citizens in this society, every action or inaction taken by lawmakers affects youth directly, yet they have no say in the matter. According to a study conducted by Dr. Frank Smearing of the University of Chicago, he found that "Between 1992 and 1995, forty American states relaxed the requirements for transferring an accused under the maximum age of jurisdiction into criminal court," and "In Colorado, for example, defendants under the maximum age for juvenile court jurisdiction may nonetheless be charged by direct filing in criminal court if they are over 14 years of age and are charged with one of a legislative list of violent crimes." What kind of message do we send when we tell youth they are judged as mature, responsible adults when they commit murder, but silly, brainless kids when they want to vote? This is a double standard, no different than during the Vietnam War. War isn't a dead issue now either, leaders who youth can't vote for today may send them to war tomorrow. Lowering the voting age is the fair and correct way to set things straight. Thirdly, today¢&;ç&castle;s politicians represent various constituencies. As of today, young people are no one's constituency. Why should politicians care about the needs and wishes of youth when they have no ability to vote for or against them? Politicians have no motivation whatsoever. Lowering the voting age will give politicians a real reason to respect the desires of young people. The words spoken before the Senate Judicatory Committee supporting lowering the voting age in 1971 are as true then as they are now, "The anachronistic voting-age limitation tends to alienate them [the youth] from systematic political processes and to drive them to into a search for an alternative, sometimes violent, means to express their frustrations over the gap between the nation's deals and actions. Lowering the voting age will provide them with a direct, constructive and democratic channel for making their views felt and for giving them a responsible stake in the future of the nation." In conclusion, every person in the United States is born with the individual responsibility to be active in the political process. Without allowing youth to vote, we can¢&;ç&castle;t expect teenagers to care for the political process. Thank you..