the joys of living in Saskatchewan...

Heh, this story [www.cbc.ca] is just too funny, in a weird sorta way.
-dr

Yeah, it was quite the story here yesterday.

11 and driving. Just mature quicker out here, just like the grasshoppers.

I find it sad that someone who is old enough to do the crime and endanger lives cannot be charged… The laws need to be changed…

They have changed. If you read it, it said taht he con't be charged because he's under 12. The Young Offenders Act originally was at 18. Then I think it went to 14. Now its at 12.

Here are the facts:
In the 70's and prior there was the Juvenile Delinquents Act. If you were under 16 you fell into that catigory. If you were 16 or older you were an adult and dealt with under the Criminal Code of Canada.
In the early 80's the Young offenders act was introduced and it stated : Up to the age of 18 you are a young offender and 18 and up you are an adult. Also if you are under 12 you are not able to form criminal intent and therefore you can't be charged or something to that effect. Also If yopu are a young offender and the crime is serious enough the young offender can be raised to adult court.

If the kid can't be charged because of his age, the charge should automatically be moved to his parents. It's the innocent that always bears the consequences of this kind act. This has to change.

I agree 100%…

In BC, parents are being held responsible for damages.

The only thing about parents being responsible for their young offenders, is that some kids are really messed up. Some parents, try as they might, can't keep their kid under control. Punishing the folks would add to their anguish and frustration. Other parents, who maybe shouldn't BE parents, could end up beating their kid to a pulp because the kid's crime got THEM in trouble…

I dunno… it's not always cut and dried out there.

There are diversion programs that work very well. If parents cares about their children they will become involved and good things may happen. If the parents don't give a darn, that is when they should be charged for their childrens wrong doings as their indifference and lack of caring is probably why the kid is the way he/she is.

Parents who have really messed up kids need to get outside help. If they get treatment for their kids, it would demonstrate that at least they cared, and some leeway could be shown them. In the case we're discussing, I doubt that the parents even knew where their little darling was.
I may be a little jaded, but when you work in a late night convenience store and you see little (5-8 years old) kids coming into the store after 9 or 10 PM to buy candy or just wander around, you gotta wonder about the parents.
I think the law needs to be satisfied. This means someone has to be responsible- there are too many ways to escape your responsibility now-a-days.

You said it idjit. Nobody wants to take responsibilty for their actions, it's always someone elses fault.. It's time for everyone to stand up and shout "what happened to you in the past is not an excuse for your inappropriate behaviur today." "After all if you were so mistreated and you know how it felt, you should know how damaging your behaviour can be to others."

Another interesting conversation…I like the points of view…to me, there are a lot of people having children who have no business having children…myself included…I have a 5 1/2 year old daughter and it is all I can do to keep my sanity some days. The difference between my situation and other situations is that I care about my kid and her future.

Some parents, through no fault of their own, come from broken families with histories of abuse of all sorts and then they go out into the world damaged, and have offspring of their own. They don't know how to parent because they haven't been shown how to. The cycle of abuse then continues and this is why we see the kids out in the streets late at night. Pretty sad and scary…seems like no one gives a d*mn about these kids.

The answer involves many steps which must occur (in my opinion): better education in terms of birth control and parenting skills; a substantial increase in the number of social workers to help these families who are in despair; much more from the private sector in terms of contributions to sport and recreation programs for troubled youth (such as Kidsport); and finally, more community involvement.

By community involvement I mean we gotta take care of each other out there in our individual neighbourhoods and communities. Someone has to take intitiative for these people who can't properly take care of their kids. If there is trouble in a home and it is left unreported, or if there is no intervention of any sort, you may as well send the kid straight to jail. This has to be priority one. If we don't, our jails will be full of people who are there because they never had a chance at a good life. Sad.

One answer to solve the problem of people who shouldn't be breeding:

Sterilisation.

Not sure who would decide about sterilization, but it's a sad situation when you have to have a licence for a dog, but anyone can have kids…

Wow. Eugenics from Saskatchewan. I think Alberta was the last province to finally get that off its books. As a parent I know the responsibility for your kids is kind of a grey area. I believe that the Charter has changed us from a community based population to a 'me' population. The lawyers thrive. No one takes responsibility. There is no such thing as accidents. Someone is always responsible. Interestingly, lawyers seem to be moving away from contingency fees. I told my daughter, any career but law if she wanted me to speak to her again.

China has limits on children. One per family. But people still have more.

There's a commercial on the tube these days about how it takes an entire village to raise a child. This was likely more true in past centuries when the parents wouldn't survive beyond 40 themselves, and those in the late teens would end up raising younger siblings. They would die themselves, and those siblings would look after their own nephews and neices. That would continue on as a cycle.

There are some closed 'communities' in BC where families have a small private family area, but there are large common kitchens, dining halls, recreation areas…you get the picture. Any parent in any family has the right to discipline anyone else's kid who is misbehaving.

Perhaps that would be the way to go..mix in a few irresponsible parents with a large number of well heeled families.

(Sort of sounds like a Hutterite or Mennonite community, doesn't it. You never hear of their kids becoming JD's)

BTW Pooga…Bro…can I borrow the car? LOL

can I borrow the car?

That's your sister-in-law's. Better ask her… if you dare! I double dare ya!

BTW…. 8:37 next Sunday.