|
plex society is even more demanding on our
young people. Each day young people are
being demanded to contribute more to the
economic, the social, and the political struc-
ture of the society.
And yet even with all these contributions
of the young people there are still many of
us who maintain that young people are ir-
responsible, that young people have no ex-
perience. You know, every speaker on the
minority has used these two words of ex-
perience and responsibility.
It reminds me that each one of us had to
go look for a job at one time in our lives
after school and there were all the person-
nel directors who said, "I am sorry, friend,
you do not have any experience".
If that be the case of the minority, if it
be the case that you vote against nineteen-
year-olds because they have no experience
then I say you and I do not belong here.
After all, where did we get experience to
write a constitution? I had none and I am
sure you had none.
We profess to give every opportunity to
the electorate to vote. We set up local dis-
tricts. We bring local units to the neigh-
borhoods to get them to vote. We put the
polling place a couple of doors from their
homes. We even give them two hours now
to go out and vote and yet our response
is very poor.
If your criteria for voting against the
committee recommendation is your observ-
ance of the draft-card burners or the hip-
pies or whatever they are called —
THE CHAIRMAN: You have a little
less than one-half minute.
DELEGATE DABROWSKI: I suggest
you realize this is only a small segment of
the young population. In the past few
months we have put a little new blood into
our constitution. I suggest now that we
open the doors and let some good fresh air
in and have our nineteen-year-olds vote.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Rybczynski,
you have two and a half minutes left that
you may allot.
DELEGATE RYBCZYNSKI: Mr. Chair-
man, I would appreciate reserving those
two and a half minutes for rebuttal.
THE CHAIRMAN: Very well.
Delegate Koss.
DELEGATE KOSS: Mr. Chairman, I
yield three minutes to Delegate Beachley.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Beachley.
|
DELEGATE BEACHLEY: Thank you,
Delegate Koss.
Mr. Chairman, delegates to the Conven-
tion, as an educator, as one who has been
associated with the counseling of high
school youth for many years, I would like
to express my approval of the reduction of
the voting age from the current twenty-one
years to the age of nineteen primarily be-
cause I have faith in the ability and judg-
ment of our young people to make wiser
decisions than those that were made by
those of similar age in the past generation.
This opinion is based on the fact that
there is a state school requirement for all
secondary pupils to include in their course
of study, prior to graduation, at least three
credits or three courses in social studies.
The term "social studies" includes such
things as civics, U. S. history which is a
required subject, problems of democracy,
contemporary challenges and subjects of
similar nature that would contribute a
great deal to the knowledge needed in
decision making.
There are many other courses in high
school that help to broaden the vision and
judgment of our young people. But in ad-
dition, the youth in our high schools today
have an unusual opportunity through the
international student exchange program to
come in contact with youth of other lands,
and to get broader outlooks on life than
their parents have had.
Since by the age of eighteen many of our
students, and I say approximately eighty
percent of our students, have completed
high school, they are ready to take the next
step, both educationally and vocationally.
If they are ready for that, they are ready
to assist in the formulation of policies,
whether they be on the local or state level,
by using the ballot box.
So, friends in the Convention, I hope you
will give consideration to this proposal of
reducing the age to eighteen. Thank you.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Koss.
DELEGATE KOSS: Mr. Chairman, I
assume I have about six minutes left. Is
that right?
THE CHAIRMAN: I think you have
more than that.
DELEGATE KOSS: All right.
THE CHAIRMAN: About ten minutes.
DELEGATE KOSS: I yield three min-
utes to Delegate Sickles.
|
