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Old May 1, 2009, 11:30 AM   #25
MedicineBow
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 15, 2008
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 297
Quote:
It's up to the parent to decide when the kid is ready
No, it's not.

I have zero interest in letting parents decide when a kid is "ready" to drive a car, drink, work in the porn industry, operate bulldozers, or handle automatic weapons.

No one has to like it, but it's a fact that a minority of adults are so damn careless or destructive that -- as in this CT case -- they'd decide that kids are "ready" for all of the above when they're 8 years old. And then there's suddenly huge danger for the kids and us.

Laws are written to protect against aberrant behavior, not the norm.

Quote:
Where do we draw the line between laws protecting kids and the government overstepping on parental responsibility and discretion?
You're right, that's the question (except these laws don't just protect the kids; they protect adults too, and society). And that all gets worked out in the neverending debates among the public, their representatives, and the courts.
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