Manning (FGCU): Age Restrictions & Government Garbage

A question I think that everyone thinks about is at what age am I considered an “adult?” Everyone has responsibilities starting at a young age with chores and helping your parents. But as you get older your responsibilities increase. You are given a lot of privileges and are expected to comply with more laws. However, it seems like there’s an age limit for everything. Just when you think you might be an adult and have freedom there is still another law over your head. Some examples that apply for Florida residents: At 18 years old you finally have no driving curfew, you can buy tobacco and porn, you can get into SOME clubs and bars, you can apply for a credit card, you can move out and live on your own and pays bills. However, you cannot go on a cruise by yourself or with friends that are 18, you cannot buy alcohol or get into SOME clubs and bars, and you cannot get a loan without a co-signer. You may be “legal” but there are still a lot of restrictions. When you turn 21 you may think that you are home free. Wrong. One major thing that is annoying with the fact at 21 you should be able to be an “adult” is college tuition and “dependency.” You cannot claim yourself as an independent person when you fill out federal scholarships. Even if you pay for your own college and live on your own and don’t speak to your parents, you are still considered a “dependent” until you are 24!!!! I think this is absolutely ridiculous. There needs to be something done about this. I know that many, many students are not fortunate enough to be living off mommy and daddy’s money through college. Most college students are in the “real world” with jobs, paying for their college expenses, student loans, debt, etc. If the government would realize this and lower this “dependency” age, many college students would qualify for grants and scholarships they didn’t before. This would benefit so many people, and I think that more students would do better in school knowing that they won’t be drowing in loan repayment after college.

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