I'm not here to debate the merits of this law, I just use this as one example. How can an adult be deemed not responsible enough to determine the safety of their own child in any given situation where he might leave the child for a moment, but a 12 year old is, by law, deemed responsible enough to handle the situation in his absence? What makes 12 years of age the magic number of responsibility? I contend, nothing. It is a purely arbitrary number decided upon because, well, some number had to be decided upon. Also, what makes a 6 year old child unable to care for himself in a way that a 7 year old child all of a sudden can? Do most children, at 7 years old become to heavy for the average would-be abductor? Is a 7 year old more likely to be able to discern the need to roll down the window if it becomes too hot all of a sudden? Maybe. Is a 7 year old more more apt to behave himself outside the presence of an adult than a 6 year old? This all depends on the situation, the child, the parent and probably unforeseen outside influences as well. You could just have well made the magic age 7 or 9 or 15. It is purely arbitrary. If not, why then is a 7 year old able to be left alone, but not able to oversee another, younger child. For the record, the impetus of this bill was a six month old child that died from heat after being left in a car alone. I get it... For the record, I believe an adult should behave in a responsible manner that puts the safety of his children above the need to "just run in and get a quick mocha".
Another example of age based responsibility is the 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution. That gave 18 year old people the right to vote. Apparently, a lot of 18-20 year old people were protesting a lot in and around 1971. You may have heard about this... The amendment of the Voting Rights Act by Nixon and a couple of court cases, one which reached the Supreme Court in the name of Oregon v Mitchell, would precede the 26th Amendment in 1971, an amendment which still has not been ratified by 8 states.
If this law were based on the responsibility of the potential voter and not just protests and the need to "feel like we are doing the right thing" it probably would not be law. I know that you can serve in our military and do some pretty amazing things as an 18 year old. I also know that as a 50 year old, you can be wholly irresponsible in practically everything you do. So again, I ask, what makes this age the age of responsibility in this realm? President Nixon, who may or may not have shown a great deal of responsibility in his time as president, had this to say about it:
As I meet with this group today, I sense that we can have confidence that America’s new voters, America’s young generation, will provide what America needs as we approach our 200th birthday, not just strength and not just wealth but the “Spirit of ‘76’ a spirit of moral courage, a spirit of high idealism in which we believe in the American dream, but in which we realize that the American dream can never be fulfilled until every American has an equal chance to fulfill it in his own life.I'm not sure I agree with everything he said there or even that it has any bearing on the ability of the young generation to vote responsibly, but there it is. In recent years, I contend that the dumbing down of the American voter has hit the youthful especially hard. They have most definitely been targeted as a vast audience, ripe for the picking. I kind of doubt that Congress, Nixon or the Supreme court of 1971 ever envisioned the need to "Rock the Vote". I'm not saying young people are dumb, I'm saying the concept of voting responsibly has been largely pushed to the side and they are unfortunate pawns in this game.
One final example of age based responsibility in our laws has to do with the age at which a person is determined to be an adult fit to consume alcohol. That age at which it becomes legal to purchase it for one's self was set by the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. Anyone under 21 may not do so, legally or the state will suffer the consequence of the federal government withholding funds, thus, they comply. But, only 15 states ban the consumption of alcohol by minors, the remaining either have no ban at all or require family member "supervision" or have location restrictions.
Yes, I understand what prohibition caused. Yes, I understand that adults are basically free do do as they please. Yes, I understand that there are other laws that govern other aspects of what you may or may not do while under the influence. I also understand that roughly 30% of all vehicle crash related deaths are associated with drunk drivers.
There are a whole bunch of disturbing statistics on the M.A.D.D. website. One references 17 million people who have admitted to driving drunk. I suspect the number that have not admitted to it is probably at least triple that. Another states that the rate of drunk driving is highest in the 21-25 year old range. 21, the age at which it has been determined by law that one is responsible enough to purchase alcohol. 21, the age at which most people prove themselves to be completely irresponsible when it comes to alcohol.
Is there a solution to this? Education and the self-imposed level of responsibility it takes not to do something stupid. Alcohol is a strange demon. The most responsible person in the world can become the exact opposite with about a 0.05 blood alcohol content. Probably less for most people.
What do these three examples have in common? Not much on the surface, just an observation about the varying ages of responsibility. One thing that is a constant, though, it is up to the individual to BE responsible. Without that, all kinds of things can go wrong. Things that can affect your life, the lives of your children, the lives of your fellow Americans. Responsibility is not determined by age, it is determined by maturity. We have some very responsible, mature young people in this country and we have some bery immature, irresponsible older people in this country. You can't choose your age, but you can choose how to behave. Be responsible. Teach your kids to be responsible. Encourage your friends to be responsible. Behave in a manner that demonstrates to others the power of responsibility.
Our liberty is being taken away in many ways. Don't let the failure to act responsibly be the catalyst for more of them to be taken away.
