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In lugnet.org.us, Tim Courtney writes:
> [...]
> I do believe that this post of yours is the most reasonable yet. I
> encourage you to bring this up at the meeting and seriously discuss _all_
> aspects of it, including Shiri's extenuating circumstances, and the fact
> that her parents have offered to sign the waiver. If for maturity's sake
> you must have an age restriction, I would suggest lowering it to 16 or 14
> at the LOWEST, OR considering people on a case-by-case basis, carefully.
I totally agree with Tim. And I realize that the issue isn't officially up
for discussion when I say this, but I would still be in favor of lowering
NELUG's age limit from 18 to 16. When the issue first came up last summer,
IIRC, the number 18 was picked primarily for legal reasons having to do with
liability, etc. as related to what an "adult" officially is in the U.S.
> I feel strongly still, that the liability issue is a moot point.
IIRC, the liability issue came up originally when the first couple of meetings
were at a private residence. I can understand someone not wanting to have to
worry about liability at their own house, but then again, even if they serve
alcohol to adults over 21, they still potentially have to worry about liability
if something bad happens when someone drives home.
I can't understand at all the liability issue if a meeting is in a "public"
place such as a university meeting room or especially in a truly public place
like a park.
I would suggest NELUG consider as a rewrite of the age limit rule something
along these lines:
Age limit Location
--------- ----------------------------------------------------------
21 At someone's private residence, with alcohol
18 At someone's private residence, no alcohol
16* At a university meeting room or other semi-public place
14 At a truly public place such as a park
* assuming the meeting place allows people under 18
The only reason I can see to worry about age (above, say, 12) is for legal
liability reasons. Having met three under-18 people from the community who
all seemed obviously more mature than the average 25-year-old and without a
doubt more mature than the average 18-year-old, I can't help but think of all
three of them as AFOLs and decent adults.
Let's look at some ages as far as laws go: 21 to drink. 18 for the draft.
16 to drive.
The driving age means simply this: a 16-year-old person is allowed by law to
operate a motor vehicle, with or without passengers, on any road in the state
he or she is licensed. Now actually, in Massachusetts, you have to be 16 years
and 6 months old to have a full drivers license, but it's 16 in most states.
It's 17 in New Jersey, 18 in Georgia, and 15 and even 14 in a couple of states.
Generally, the U.S. seems to think 16 is the OK age to drive. Of course, that
doesn't have anything to do with LEGO, but then again neither does registering
for the draft or being able to drink alcohol.
What makes 18 an "adult" any more than 16? I don't think most people become
what I would consider an "adult" until they reach about 26 or 27.
Well, some more food for thought.
--Todd
[followups to lugnet.org.us.nelug]
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Age limitations
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| (...) Actually it's 16 in Georgia also.(15 for a learner's permit) jt -- ---...--- James J. Trobaugh North Georgia LEGO Train Club (URL) (24 years ago, 4-Jul-00, to lugnet.org.us.nelug)
| | | Re: Age limitations
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| (...) As an interested bystander, that seems reasonable. Of course to some extent, an event at someones house is up to that person's discretion. Certainly if someone's blanket liability policy has anything to say about age, that must be adhered to. (...) (24 years ago, 4-Jul-00, to lugnet.org.us.nelug)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Age limitations
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| (...) Then I must be mistaken. I based that comment off of some stuff I read today before posting my first reply, set 8 months ago, with a reference to this decision being made 4 months earlier, so roughly a year. (...) Yes, I understand that, and I (...) (24 years ago, 4-Jul-00, to lugnet.org.us, lugnet.org.us.nelug)
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