LTAR

["'A. Joseph Ross'" <lawyer@world.std.com>]

A few comments on this week's LTAR.

First, I keep hearing mention of this station out west that got in trouble
for having volunteer labor, and that you can't do that because the Labor
Department will come down on you.  But I thought the Labor Department
backed off that station and decided what they were doing was OK. 

Second, there is a misconception that nonprofit organizations cannot
legally make money.  They can.  The difference is that they are supposed
to keep their profits and re-invest them back into the organization.  They
cannot distribute the profits to individuals.  The details of this are
complicated, but that's the way it works in a nutshell.

Third, I've noticed that many hobby groups are worried about the fact that
they aren't getting many young people into the hobby these days.  And they
blame something about the hobby (Hams used to blame Morse Code
requirements for licenses), or they blame TV, video games, the Internet,
drugs, or sex, or they blame the alleged lousy attitude of youth.  

But the fact of the matter is, there aren't as many young people now as
there used to be.  The Baby Boomers have aged, and the present generation
of young people are from the low-birthrate era that followed.  The next
boom is currently in elementary school.  When they get old enough, there
will be an influx of young people into hobbies, political groups, and a
lot of other activities, just as in the late 60s and 70s.  There will also
be a tighter job market, as in the early 70s, and everyone will blame
whatever administration is in office, without thinking of demographics at
all.

==============================================================================
  A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                                          617/367-0468
  15 Court Square                                       lawyer@world.std.com
  Boston, MA 02108-2573                        http://world.std.com/~lawyer/
==============================================================================

------------------------------