Do you think the voting age should be lowered?

[FiveParadox]

If that is the "concensus" regarding the gun registry, then it should be interesting to see the Government of Canada attempt to use this "concensus" to further their effort to terminate the program, where Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition and the other opposition parties have vowed to block any such efforts in the House of Commons.

 

[bluealberta]

Re: RE: Do you think the voting age should be lowered?

If that is the "concensus" regarding the gun registry, then it should be interesting to see the Government of Canada attempt to use this "concensus" to further their effort to terminate the program, where Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition and the other opposition parties have vowed to block any such efforts in the House of Commons.

Look, if you want to have a discussion about the gun registry fine, but not to respond to anything else is a bit much.

Keep in mind that there are many liberals who do not support the gun registry either, and even some NDP. It is dead. Even if it is kept, with the conservatives doing the budget, who is not to say that the funding for the program will be, how shall I say it, oh yeah, slashed to the bone, making it totally ineffectual. There are more than one way to solve a problem.

 

[FiveParadox]

I think that the opposition made their reasons for favouring the proposed gun ban quite clear, and I don't think it would be correct to charge that the suggestion was baseless. Many believe that the proposed ban would increase the safety and security of Canadians.

 

[FiveParadox]

When the party is convicted of using taxes as election funds, perhaps I would reconsider my vote. However, for now, I choose to support the Liberal Party of Canada. Even before the summoning of Parliament, they have been quite an effective opposition, and the Honourable Bill Graham, P.C., M.P., the Member for Toronto Centre and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, is a major person to thank for that, in my opinion.

 

[bluealberta]

Re: RE: Do you think the voting age should be lowered?

I think that the opposition made their reasons for favouring the proposed gun ban quite clear, and I don't think it would be correct to charge that the suggestion was baseless. Many believe that the proposed ban would increase the safety and security of Canadians.

How? Handguns are so difficult to get now, they are virtually banned. There have been handgun laws on the books since the thirties and have worked fine. The handguns used in crime are not usually registered, nor is the user of the illegal handgun, for obvious reasons. How do you ban something that is already banned, for heaven sakes? It was pure and utter trash politics from an utterly trash politician, Paul Martin, who resorted to, thankfully unsuccessfuly, saying anything he could in a desparate attempt to get reelected. Disgraceful, totally disgraceful.

But I digress from the topic, so if you want to go back to the topic, lets go!

 

[FiveParadox]

Anyway, it appears that most of the people who have commented above, have more or less said that they don't think the voting age should be reduced for fear of more people supporting the Liberal Party of Canada — that doesn't strike me as a particularly valid argument. We should not be legislating electoral law based on which parties we think need a handicap — if people fear that the Conservative Party of Canada would suffer in terms of support as a result of reducing the voting age, then perhaps those supporters should be suggesting more appealing policies to their party, rather than suggesting that "Liberal voters" be banned from the ballot box.

 

[FiveParadox]

Paul Martin's Decline

I would agree that the tactics of the Right Honourable Paul Martin, P.C., M.P., the Member for LaSalle—Émard, had begun to lose momentum during the previous election. For example, I entirely oppose his suggestion of removing the notwithstanding clause from the Constitution Act, 1982.

 

[bluealberta]

Re: RE: Do you think the voting age should be lowered?

Anyway, it appears that most of the people who have commented above, have more or less said that they don't think the voting age should be reduced for fear of more people supporting the Liberal Party of Canada — that doesn't strike me as a particularly valid argument. We should not be legislating electoral law based on which parties we think need a handicap — if people fear that the Conservative Party of Canada would suffer in terms of support as a result of reducing the voting age, then perhaps those supporters should be suggesting more appealing policies to their party, rather than suggesting that "Liberal voters" be banned from the ballot box.

Well, I suspect that goes back to a deep seated suspicion of Liberal motives about virtually everything they do. Yes, I think they probably support the lowering of the age because they also know, as I have stated, that younger voters tend to vote more left than right, so yes, they would pick up some voters they would not have had without lowering the age.

However, to suggest that Liberal voters are being banned if the age is not lowered is somewhat disingenous, IMO. Conservative policies are usually rooted in the needs of reality, whereas Liberal policies are usually rooted in the need of the Liberal Party to stay in power. Same reason the LIberals support expanded immigration policies. It is well known that the vast majority of new immigrants vote Liberal. Just imagine, lower the age and with increased immigration, the Liberals not only get more immigrant votes, but younger immigrant votes, in addition to the younger non-immigrant votes.

 

[FiveParadox]

But to oppose changing the voter's age based on what one thinks the party standings may be as a result is not an appropriate response, in my opinion, in terms of the legislative work of the Parliament of Canada. Forty-year-olds are going to vote based on what they feel their needs are, so are thirty-year-olds, and so would sixteen-year-olds, if given the chance. If they would feel that their interests would be better represented by one party over another, then that should not be the concern of electoral law.

 

[bluealberta]

Re: RE: Do you think the voting age should be lowered?

But to oppose changing the voter's age based on what one thinks the party standings may be as a result is not an appropriate response, in my opinion, in terms of the legislative work of the Parliament of Canada. Forty-year-olds are going to vote based on what they feel their needs are, so are thirty-year-olds, and so would sixteen-year-olds, if given the chance. If they would feel that their interests would be better represented by one party over another, then that should not be the concern of electoral law.

You are right, everyone votes for their own self interests. BUT, older voters also take into consideration the interests and needs of the entire country, in addition to their own self interests, more than younger voters do. For example, while younger voters may think that "free programs" sound like a hell of an idea, older voters understand better that these "free programs" come out of taxpayer money, something that most younger voters do not comprehend as well as older voters do. I know I am generalizing, something I really don't like, but in this case, I think it is somewhat appropriate.

It would be interesting to go into a high school now and determine how the current students would vote now, and then in 10 - 15 years, contact these same individuals to see how they vote then. I suspect that they would vote left now, and more right in the future.

 

[FiveParadox]

In my experience in high school, I would have to say that a majority of opposition to the Conservative Party of Canada on the part of students is due to the intolerance that the party tends to portray (even if not "effective" intolerance, in the opinion of adults, such things are picked up extremely easily, and violently in terms of reactions, by youth). There is a conception among youth that the Tories are less tolerant than the Grits, and this may well be a reason for the trend in support for the left from students.

 

[bluealberta]

Re: RE: Do you think the voting age should be lowered?

In my experience in high school, I would have to say that a majority of opposition to the Conservative Party of Canada on the part of students is due to the intolerance that the party tends to portray (even if not "effective" intolerance, in the opinion of adults, such things are picked up extremely easily, and violently in terms of reactions, by youth). There is a conception among youth that the Tories are less tolerant than the Grits, and this may well be a reason for the trend in support for the left from students.

I have found that what some call intolerance is easily confused with policies that deal with reality, as opposed to policies that deal with a lot of theory.

I think you may have just made one of my points about my opposition to lowering the age of voting, though, regarding how perceptions are picked up easily and violent reactions by youth. It is also well accepted that the left is for more spending on programs, while the right wants accountability of the money spent on programs, especially social programs.

 

[Finder]

bluealberta
Frankly here in Ontario 9 years of Tory government killed social programs and still mucked up the books, and then having the Liberals and there lies upset me even more. So yeah it goes both ways. I think the Conservatives did such a horrible job here in Ontario killing our social programs that even though the Liberals once elected went against many of there promises, they won't lose the next election because of the Conservative legacy has left such a bad taste in Ontariians mouth and we are not ready to let the Ontario NDP back either we will be stuck with the Liberals for a long while.

 

[Lotuslander]

Blue Alberta wrote:

1. Typically, most teachers in high schools are "leftists", and despise anything on the right. This comes through in their teachings. In my kids schools, the teachers consistently blasted the Tories, until I complained to the school system. The teachers are free to have their own opinions, but they are not free to bring their biases to the school system. The same holds true for any right leaning teacher, but man, these are hard to find.

I think it interesting that you believe teachers' political philosophy would unduly influence young peoples' voting intentions. Personally, I think if you gave young people the rigfht to vote they would vote how thier parents told them to, not how their teachers want. I think it is interesting that you have inferred that teachers have more influence over kids than their parents which I think is erroneous.

You must think that your kids' teachers are so good that they don't need to listen to you! I doubt it. The best teachers a kid can have are his Mum and Dad.