The new generation

Very true and well said, but this is an Atari newsgroup. Keep
alt.art.theft.scream.scream.scream,alt.artcom,alt.artificia.... blah blah
blah material where it belongs. 

The Atari newsgruops are what they sound like... newsgroups to discuss
Atari related ideas and issues.

Um...just curious...how old *are* you.
I don't think that there are very many 13 yr old children (yes,
*children*) mature enough to take on the responsibilities you are
suggesting.  Maturity comes from the proper understanding and application
of life experiences.  Many people who are in their 20's, 30's, 40's and
older do not have much maturity, true, but they seem to be more likely
candidates.  Why would any 13 year old truly WANT the responsibility is a
good question.  Many adults long for the days of childhood freedom long
gone...after all, driving requires the driver to take on the
responsibility of anything that may happen while driving.
If you are a minor, do you the desire to enter the workplace?  Find a
place of your own?  Drive a car?  If you are/were ready for college at 13
years of age then more power to you.  Somehow I doubt it.  Many 17 year
old and up people fold under this pressure.  If you were to drive and you
had an accident in which your car collided with mine, how would you pay
for the damages?
Maybe there are younger people ready for adult responsibilities (there
certainly are older ones who aren't), but there should be a cut-off point
somewhere.  Sixteen seems like a fair choice.  You get to have a job and a
car.  You're not even responsible for what happens when you drive the
thing (except to your parents, unless you are an emancipated minor) until
you are eighteen!
As for your homework being over your parents' heads...wait'll you have
kids!  This has been happening for decades.  It's called progress.  If you
can learn more than your parents did you should be proud (I did/am).  My
school system did not have computers for students until I was in junior
high.  My sister, who is 15 years younger than me, could operate a Mac at
5 years of age and has her own PC now at 12 years of age.  She's a bright
kid.  Foreign echange, scholarship winner (already), etc.  She's learned
far more before high school than I did throughout my whole 12 years of
public school.  I will be the first in my family lineage to have a masters
degree; I was also the first to have ANY college education.  I don't
believe that I was mature enough to handle the responsibilty of driving at
age 13 nor do I think my sister is.  And my mom couldn't even BEGIN to do
either of our homework assignments!   :-)