It appears that the Iowa Legislature may be considering a raise in the
dropout age for high schoolers. Good! I have long thought that the 16
year old threshold was far too young and far too inconsistent with
other arbitrarily created government age thresholds. We cannot buy
alcohol, buy lottery tickets or enter a casino until we've reached the
age of 21. We cannot buy tobacco products until the age of 18. We
enter into the Selective Service at 18, but we can drop out of high
school once we hit 16? If young people do not possess, according to
the state, the common sense decision making skills when it comes to
buying liquor or smokes until 21 or 18, why does the government
believe that a 16 year old has the maturity to know that the decision
they are going to make is in their best interest?