Poll Clerk,

Thank you. I am left wing working class. I have no representation as the middle class chardonnay siping basketweaver socialist stole the Labor Party.. I will claim 100% tax back. Cheers.

For this lesson, I shall place two glasses on the table: one short and fat and full of clear liquid, and the other is tall and skinny and empty.

Now watch closely as I take the short and fat full glass and pour the liquid into the tall thin glass.

The questions are:

1. How much liquid is now in the tall skinny glass?
(more, less, equal?)

2. What colour is the liquid?
(blue, clear, red?)

...

If you answered Q1 as 'equal' you were almost correct, because there would remain a small quantity of residue in the short fat glass.

Congratulations! You have the right to vote. You have proven that you understand the physical laws expected of a ten year old citizen regarding the conservation of matter, and that is a fundamental prerequisite of government. Well done!

If you answered 'blue' or 'red' for question two, then you might insist on the right to vote, although 'clear' would have been what Piaget expected.

If you refused to answer because you never saw me actually pour anything from any glass into any other glass right now in this post, and realised that I am spouting vapourware, then you might realise the pointlessness of wasting your time voting in elections. 9-)

seano has been on the grog.
The younger set these days don't have responcability on their mind.
In my day it was to find a lifetime friend of the opposite sex.
Now it is buying a new overpowered car, and living on ya parents.
How can the youth of today be trusted, with a voting right.
Some young bloke said , if ya haven't lost ya licence 3 times you haven't lived.
They recon green house gas is causing problems, it's runs a distant second on the y generation.
Alcohol and drugs on an under developed brain !
The way things are going there won't be the responsible amount of youth around to take charge of any thing.
It all comes back to the parents of course >

'Seano has been on the grog.
The younger set these days don't have responcability on their mind.
In my day it was to find a lifetime friend of the opposite sex.
Now it is buying a new overpowered car, and living on ya parents.
How can the youth of today be trusted, with a voting right.
Some young bloke said , if ya haven't lost ya licence 3 times you haven't lived.
They recon green house gas is causing problems, it's runs a distant second on the y generation.
Alcohol and drugs on an under developed brain !
The way things are going there won't be the responsible amount of youth around to take charge of any thing.
It all comes back to the parents of course >
Posted by Desmond, Wednesday, 4 November 2009 6:55:51 PM'

Best I can do is put that one down to one of your 'senior moments' Des.

I hope that you might be more lucid and less insulting to 42 year old seventh-generation Australians when you get your normal mind back.

No more posts for me in this thread.

I am horrified at the thought that anyone would even consider giving the vote to 16 year olds!

My 17 year old daughter and her friends (all reasonably intelligent) really couldn't give a damn about politics.
They are far too busy with the very difficult and emotionally labile business of being young adolescents.

There are a few of her friends who are into current affairs, but mostly it is sex, boys, fashion, cosmetics, mobiles and....sex!

I also wish the drinking age was back up to 21 (now that I am slightly older than that!) and that the driving age was 18.
I am not sure if I would feel the same way if I had no teenage children however.

I've known 16 year-olds with more political knowledge and acumen than many adults. Conversely - as is often demonstrated in this forum - there are many adults who are pig-ignorant about civics and our political system, but who are required by law to vote in elections.

I think voting in Australia should be optional rather than compulsory, and should only be available to those citizens of any age who can demonstrate a basic knowledge of Australian political and civic systems, possible via a written exam or similar.