Imagine if we followed the numbers, the empirical evidence, like insurance companies do. In this case the legal age would be raised from 18 to 25. This wouldn't make any real difference to politics because young people don't vote. It would be huge to consumer spending. Consider the following:
* Age to get a credit card, file a DBA, open a bank account, or get an apartment.
* Age to purchase tobacco and pornography (yes yes, I suspect most people get their porn for free online regardless of age now).
* FBI already refuses to hire field agents below the age of 24.
* You could not be tried as an adult in criminal court until age 25. The number of adult violent offenders in prison might decrease as much as 70%.
* You cannot get married until the age of adulthood. I suspect states would compromise on this one and allow permissible parental consent as young people will still continue to have children.
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My personal opinions are that people would be much better prepared for life, there would be fewer lost souls to the criminal justice system, and the consumer debt industry would be largely eliminated from all but proverty classes (like the payday loan vultures).
* Age to get a credit card, file a DBA, open a bank account, or get an apartment.
* Age to purchase tobacco and pornography (yes yes, I suspect most people get their porn for free online regardless of age now).
* FBI already refuses to hire field agents below the age of 24.
* You could not be tried as an adult in criminal court until age 25. The number of adult violent offenders in prison might decrease as much as 70%.
* You cannot get married until the age of adulthood. I suspect states would compromise on this one and allow permissible parental consent as young people will still continue to have children.
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My personal opinions are that people would be much better prepared for life, there would be fewer lost souls to the criminal justice system, and the consumer debt industry would be largely eliminated from all but proverty classes (like the payday loan vultures).