Separate SLO Council meetings for under and over 40-year-olds nonsensical

So Courtney Meznarich and her under-40 group feel so intimidated that they cannot express themselves at regular SLO City Council meetings, (“SLO candidates discuss housing, business startups”, Oct. 7). Does this​ mean that she and the under-40 group advocate two duplicate council meetings — one for citizens under 40 years of age and another for citizens older than 40?

Just think, the council and staff and consultants would have to attend two meetings so we won’t hurt the psyches of our young citizens. Not only would that double our meeting costs, we would have to employ new attendants at Council Chamber entries to “card” all citizen attendees so no over-40s try to sneak in on the under-40 meeting and vice versa. I’m not clear if there are under-40 and over-40 separate languages that will need to be mastered.

Why is the cut made at 40? Why not 47? It’s beginning to sound like 12 would be more appropriate. And while we consider separations because of age, how about separate meetings divided by race or color or height or weight or whether or not one rides a bicycle?

This story was originally published November 1, 2016 at 8:37 PM with the headline "Separate SLO Council meetings for under and over 40-year-olds nonsensical."