There is a teen out there who cherishes his democratic rights. On his 18th birthday, John Hash, a senior from Tehachapi High School, will register to vote. However, he is apalled at the lack of participation in the democratic process.
On his bookshelf at home sit stories of historic battles for the rights of men, but he said he was dumbfounded when it seems the Revolutionary and Civil wars are forgotten by America’s youth.
With only 36 percent of people between 18 and 24 participating in the presidential election, voting has fallen victim to the disease of apathy, which runs rampant in young people. They are letting more and more rights and privileges slip away from them.
There are numerous adults who don’t vote, but the fact that there are many young people who don’t care about the democratic process shows that they are unprepared to handle the responsibility of voting.
The traditional punishment for misbehaving youth has been for parents to ground them. The next step would be to take their rights away. More than 30 years ago young people fought to vote at 18, but now that seems to have been forgotten.
It certainly would wake up Americans everywhere if one of the freedoms they looked forward to throughout childhood was taken away from them, making them wait three more years.
Sadly, it seems that taking the right to vote away may be the only way to awaken them to the need to participate in democracy.
By not voting, they are comitting a crime of sorts. People claim that it’s their right not to vote, but if people fail to care, they are unworthy of the democratic process (like grounding, the rights could be returned after a period of time).
This same punishment could be applied to different situations, like student activities that are suffering from apathy at high schools around the nation. Just take away these activities for a year or so, and then return them.
Parents have had the right idea for years. Until young people can appreciate all the rights they have, the only way to solve the problem is to take them away.