WE ARE THE AFFECTED, WE ARE A VOICE, OUR VOTE IS DESERVED!

I go to Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, OR. Today English class was very inspirational! The topic came up that a so called "child" say as young as 16 can be taxed without having a vote. That 16 and 17 year olds are somehow inept to the facts of war, hurricane Katrina, the economy, health care, and everything that affects us in our everyday lives. Our teacher felt the entire class was very passionate about the subject so she formatted her lesson plan to teach us how to argue and present our points of view. We broke up into two groups and debated the topic. Our teacher Ms.Tillery set it up like a true debate giving us allotted time and rebuttal questions. I feel that if the united states can tax a young teen 20% of his or her minimum wage job and not give them a say but tax wealthy Americans like say Sarah Palin who only paid 6% in taxes last year and she can run for vice president is not only unfair but unjust! The government is picking our pockets and paying 777 billion of OUR dollars to corporate bailouts and not giving us a say in how our money is being spent, in my opinion that is stealing. There was a whole revolution in fact about "TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION" were the British were taxing the colonial America's without getting a say in the homeland of England. I understand the fact that there are immature people who are 16 and 17 but that doesnt only apply to that demographic. There is immaturity and ignorance in all ages of people. When only 50% of the United States citizens who have the right, the duty to vote do, and plenty who only vote because of a simple letter D or R why not let these deserving citizens vote? When the only difference between 16 and 18 is the ability to go to war; is that what qualifies a voter? When there are so many issues that directly affect us; burdens our parents who we are supposedly our "shields" cant do anything about. they cant pay my taxes, they cant take the pain from a child when is father, mother, sister, brother dies from the effects of war, or when there sister is sick but go without seeing a doctor because they dont have health insurance. Its like were in a cave. Forced to be in the cave, 12 of us in that cave, six say build a fire to stay warm, five say best not so we dont suffocate and you? Me? We are shushed, told we don't matter and that we just have to deal with the consequences, forced to breath the smoke...there suffocating our powerful voice! When millions of americans who can vote, dont vote you want to hush those who do? WE ARE THE AFFECTED, WE ARE A VOICE, OUR VOTE IS DESERVED!