Dear Congress
Reset everything to 21. Everything that comes under legal congressional purview.
Vice purchases (questionable)
Military Service (not questionable)
Voting (not questionable)
Taxes (what do I know?)
SSN’s (what do I know?)
Vehicular operating licences (what do I know?)
The last two might have Congress painted into a corner.
The e-vile plan might not be do-able unless taxes and SSNs for minors are recinded.
But I am certainly no expert on the matter.
At 18 put all minors (the legal age is 21) into prep training for advanced education AND mandatory conscription upon reaching 21.
The motto is “Serve the Country, Not Yourselves).
Nobody gets nothing unless they have skin in the game.
Snark! (But perhaps not)
I need more coffee.
I've been saying for years that we should go back to requiring land ownership to be permitted to vote. It's not a popular opinion, but I don't see how it's a bad idea.
Every year we get our tax schedule from our county, some from the state too, and we attend meetings to discuss matters surrounding local taxation, and then we pay those taxes. People who rent or crash on mom and dad's couch don't have a clue. Then when they get jobs and get out on their own, they rage against whoever is in office in DC without understanding how taxation, or even representation, works.
Being a citizen in a Constitutional Republic is not meant to be easy. It's meant to be deliberative, critical, and slow-moving. The march toward popular democracy is terrifying, because it's the singular step needed to allow ne'er-do-well politicians the leverage required to turn the wheels of American government fully toward socialism.
My interpretation of your post is making the minimum age for military service at 21. If so, I agree.
My understanding of the human brain is that it is not completely wired at age 18. My point has to due with combat stress and the likelihood of PTSD developing in a less mature person. IMO a more mature person could likely handle the effects of being in mortal danger over long periods of time as well as watching people get blown to hell.