In all the excitement of a potential war with Iran with President Hamberder at the helm, I missed this new year Noonan nugget:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi made herself look ridiculous this year when she backed lowering the voting age to 16. This is an idiotic and destructive idea, an epic and hackish pander, and is offensive to the baseline reality that the adults of a great nation have the right to govern its affairs. It will go nowhere, but the coming decade may see some pushback against the 18-year-old vote, passed in 1971. A lot has changed since then. We know the brains of 18-year-olds are not fully developed and haven’t fully knitted. Young people are educated more poorly, and the screens that surround them and through which they learn encourage sensation, not thought. Their experience of the world is limited; most are financially and emotionally supported by others. All this as the questions we face grow more complex. We should raise the voting age, not lower it.

Reminded me of a tweet I wish I'd saved for sharing and crediting the author that went something like: "A good friend invites you over to watch Twilight. Not your thing, but you go, for a friend. Halfway through, he gets up, grabs his car keys, and just leaves. Anyway, my point is, old people shouldn't be allowed to vote."

To Noonan's "point" about dependency, real world education, and cognitive abilities: Um. Not going to waste your time pretending she has a relevant idea what's on The Kids' screens, so just the other three. According to the National Center on Caregiving, 85% of adults age 65+ are dependent on a family member for care or housing. Education? The most avid Fox News viewer is likely 55-65. Cognitive decline begins at 45, really hitting it's stride at 65 (Noonan is 69).

If we're weighing these justifications for restricting the right to vote, we need to have a talk about The Olds, Peg.