Why non voters have to have a say in economic policy

Most solutions considered to mend the financial system, the economy and ailing companies require a massive transfer of money from the next generation to the current. Since policy makers are elected (or appointed by the elected) only by those who are old enough to do so, this process is likely inefficient, if not unfair. Decisions made by those who are the beneficiaries of the policy against a cohort, who do not have a voice (under the age of 18) in the policy appears unfair. A new system is needed where transfer of wealth policies need to be ratified by those who are paying for it and not just made by those who benefit by it.  Given the asymmetric effects of the policy changes made by the "grown ups," it is conceivable that the "non grown-ups" can challenge the current system.

Lowering the age limit for participation in the electoral process is the easiest fix. It is unclear why 18 magically makes somebody eligible to participate in the process. Since age has never proven to be correlated with good decisions in the electoral process, such an arbitrary cut off seems misplaced. Another possibility is to provide electronic means of participation (such as the Internet) for everybody who wants to voice an opinion on a suggested policy. For reasons unknown, most countries continue to use antiquated processes and technology for the voting process. Since changing the "established voting process" may drive some "grown-ups" crazy, we can at least experiment with it in providing specific feedbacks to policy changes. It is possible that if such an electronic voting mechanism is established for up/down votes on suggested policies, better long term policies will be made as everybody who is affected by it can now participate. A third alternative is to set maximum age limits for policy makers. Since we have already established minimum age for both the agent (policy maker) and the principal (voters), this should not be too shocking to most.