State of the Union address.

[HappyMonkey]

bobjustbob,
I wasn't aware (for some reason) of the restrictions and penalties for dropping out at or before 16 in the US. Thanks for getting me to do some reading. While I am dubious that you can force someone to stay in school until they are 18 - certainly you can't make them want too be there - you can impose penalties such as being unable to legally drive, vote, etc, that will give some kids who that might be on the fence some incentive to complete school.

 

[bobjustbob]

I guess that I was just noting this in the speech because of personal experience. Plus I don't think that the decision of staying in school should be made by a 16 year old. Not mature enough. I don't want class rooms disrupted. 2 more years of learning SOMETHING is worth the effort for us and them. Learn a trade. Get into an internship. Teach them something about the outside world. Making your own buck feels good.

What do kids do when they quit at 16? Many sit in their rooms. If they quit to get a job then that is education. A viable option for them. Right now that is not the case. A kid drops out at 16, never worked before, doesn't understand the discipline of employment, what else do they have? Decide to live as they wish? Sit in their rooms and have Mom and Dad provide everything for them? The kid becomes a piece of shit and a decision has to be made when to kick their ass out. That's just not fair to Mom and Dad. Making a decision at 16 that affects those in your house doesn't make sense.