Pudding First
Over at Vox, where leftist brains pulsate, Ms Kelsey Piper has an idea:
The United States should consider eradicating the voting age entirely… There are a host of good reasons to give children the vote… I think voting would be an exciting and meaningful exercise even for children too young to fill out their ballot validly, and it’s a great chance to develop the habit early — just like we have young children brush their teeth even though they’ll lose those teeth in a few years anyway.
I didn’t say it was a good one.
It occurs to me that if you start demanding that small children be allowed to vote in general elections – largely because you assume that their choices, their politics, will tend to mirror your own – then perhaps it’s time to ponder why your own politics correspond with the imagined preferences of children, who are, by definition, unworldly and irresponsible. Such that you grudgingly concede that, “Enfranchising everyone [i.e., including small children] will make the electorate less informed on average.” The rest of us, meanwhile, may wish to ponder whether a leftist’s desire to exploit the ignorance of small children in order to further her own socialist vanities is not only farcical, but degenerate.
We’ve been here before, of course, when Professor David Runciman claimed that not allowing primary school children to vote alongside adults amounts to “an inbuilt bias against governments that plan for the future.” As if small children are renowned for their selflessness and conscientious forethought. As noted at the time,
The irony being that children and teenagers tend to be quite selfish and self-absorbed, to a degree unbecoming in adults, and are accustomed to free stuff, all paid for out of sight by someone else, much to the youngsters’ indifference. It would therefore hardly be surprising if voting children tended to favour policies that pile up unsustainable debt, all left for whatever generations follow them… What comes to mind is an episode of Malcolm in the Middle, in which the boys steal Hal’s credit card and run away to start a new and grander life in a hotel room, making enthusiastic use of room service.
How this sits with Ms Piper’s claim that “Kids have… a greater stake in political issues than adults do,” I leave to the reader.
Gotta get this thread over the 100 mark. What to do, what to do? Ah! Jane, you ignorant slut.
I’m generous enough to keep accepting your capitulation, Muldoon, so no call for your ego to keep banging on. As you’ll not recall, this started when it didn’t include a simple disclaimer with your original error. Have a chat with it, assuming the projection reaches over there.
Posted by: Ten | September 12, 2019 at 20:18
You really are like one of those WWII Japanese soldiers left behind on an island, aren’t you. Much sillier, though.
In other, random news…
. . . I’m mildly amused by all the caterwauling going that claims absolute knowledge of being conservative, while having absolutely zero presentation of any definitions, so that the rest of us can assess if there is any internal or empirical accuracy.
A suspicion is that if either or any actually supplied a baseline definition, and then tried to extended from that, well, the baseline actually wouldn’t support any extensions . . .
David, mebbe your offer of the tarp and condoms should have included a couple of nice pillows to recline on, then then might take you up on it . . . . !
And yes, rather in parallel . . . .
. . . the words quality care are actually in quotation marks on the sign . . .
“Jesus” is coming.
Goodness, you mean that some of you actually read what Ten writes? I’m in awe.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/11/womens-magazines-are-more-progressive-than-ever-and-theyre-all-closing-down
Despite or because?
You really are like one of those WWII Japanese soldiers left behind on an island, aren’t you. Much sillier, though.
Easy does it Forrest, I know your brain made you do it.
Have to say though, it’s playing well with the locals. Humorless Hal’s emerged from his latest fog to rule that conservatism is pinning a list to a church door to solicit opinions. #winning!
Ten how sensitive you are to adult-sized dialog
It is a revealing error to proudly defend one’s own gratuitous rudeness as adult behavior.
“Sick cultures show a complex of symptoms such as you have named…but a dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.”
–Friday, by the gentlemanly Robert Heinlein
The same goes for individuals.
Despite or because?
Pretty much all popular magazines are having revenue problems, but I hope there is a very large “because” component in this case.
First, military discipline is by nature federal.
Not in Switzerland, it isn’t. Basically everything is done via the cantons.
They had to change their constitution to allow a federal army a while back. That “army” is a few special forces that can undertake operations across the country.
They don’t even have a commander-in-chief, except in war time.
. . . . Humorless Hal . . .
. . . . to rule that conservatism is pinning a list to a church door to solicit opinions.
You do give a good example of wandering around in a fog, given that two different statements both rather clearly point out something completely different . . . !
Everyone’s having fun ranting but me. I could go on about cluster B personality disorders for a bit?
I could go on about cluster B personality disorders for a bit?
Sure, why not?
Would an airdrop of annoying people be a cluster B bomb? Would Aspergers be a J-Damn?
In the past 16 months you’ve given me plenty of reasons to regret that post, Hal. I’ll kindly ask that you leave me out of your tedious arguments in the future.
In the past 16 months you’ve given me plenty of reasons to regret that post, Hal. I’ll kindly ask that you leave me out of your tedious arguments in the future.
. . . . which so far also leaves you in the same boat as all the bloviating we’re watching here.
Details? Citations? Refutation? Bueller? References??
For all the flood of paragraphs, we’ve been getting just crickets regarding if there are any actual facts underneath all the handwaving that’s been erupting. If you can do better, we’ll certainly be likely to applaud . . .
Hal vs. Ten
Now there’s a capital idea. One thread with a two day time limit. I think this has potential. So long as we can do it under Code 9000 restrictions, for a nominal fee, and it could pay for a new mermaid with goldfish bowl boobs thingy for over the bar. What? I need something to look at when I drink. Those jars of pickled eggs and bottles of T-Bird don’t move much.
Anyway, as ever Sir Pterry hit the nail on the head on the problem of defining franchises
I leave deciding whether this is posted as a comment on the original post or thread it spawned as an exercise for the student.
Those jars of pickled eggs and bottles of T-Bird don’t move much.
You can tell that David runs a high-class joint by the fact that he imports Thunderbird rotgut wine all the way from America. Only the best for his valued customers.
I could go on about cluster B personality disorders for a bit?
Sure, why not?
They’re really bad, and you should stay away from people who have them.
Look, it’s been a long day.
Hal vs. Ten
Now there’s a capital idea.
It certainly is an easy example of the clear contrast between me and vacuous exposition, especially with what we’re seeing here today.
I do indeed cite facts and give references, as has been noted all along. You’re quite correct that I utterly contrast with all the quite unsubstantiated opinions, running on for paragraphs, which we’ve been getting with this round.
Hal vs. Ten, two parties doing the equivalent of this.
”Look, it’s been a long day.”
My sympathies. I promise to be obtuse only by accident and to only say something insulting if is likely to make you laugh.
. . . two parties doing the equivalent of this.
Lacking any other context, which of the protesters were you?
Lacking any other context, which of the protesters were you?
The joke is that all Chick-Fil-A locations are closed on Sunday, Hal.
The joke is that all Chick-Fil-A locations are closed on Sunday, Hal.
Cute.
Jen
Can we eradicate voting by Vox columnists?
Posted by: Jen | September 11, 2019 at 13:17
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Let’s add writing and talking to that.
Hell, toss in breathing while we’re at it.
*The exception to under 30 voting would be anyone who served and was honourably discharged from their country’s military. If you’ve put your life on the line, you get a vote
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That’s the basic political premise of Heinlein’s Starship Troopers ( the book, not the vile steaming heap of rat feces that was the movie *spit*).
You earn the right to vote by performing difficult/dangerous service to the polis
They are so eager and willing to hide behind children. Shows how much confidence they have in their beliefs
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Not so much hide behind as use.
Leftist conception of children:
Before birth— mere clump of cells
After birth—– tools.
That’s the basic political premise of Heinlein’s Starship Troopers
fump fump fump Is this thing on?
…might be wryly ironic.
On my local main line to London, as each train pulls away passengers hear an automated announcement – “this – short pause – service blah blah blah.” I assume the pause is there to allow the name of the train operator to be included; but as it is, the words have a ruefully honest tone which never fails to please.