The downward slide of the Boy Scouts of America
It was sad, but not unexpected, to hear earlier this week that the Boy Scouts of America had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The title of this USA Today article https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/02/20/bankruptcy-boy-scouts-chapter-11-ethics-sexual-abuse/4805003002/ is "Did the Boy Scouts violate their own honor code by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy?"
I'm not going to debate either way about whether bankruptcy is honorable or not. I personally think bankruptcy is dishonorable, but I also recognize that it may be the only viable option. That said, I think it is used too often.
Anyway. I've stated in past posts that the Boy Scouts violated their honor code when they failed to do all they could to protect the youth in their care. They further violated their honor code when they went after money over values. And they violated their honor code in allowing adults as leaders who have values contrary to the traditional values that the Boy Scouts used to espouse. I personally believe if the BSA had held true to their traditional values that the new laws eliminating statutes of limitations (which has increased the litigation flood) probably would not have passed, and the BSA wouldn't be facing the disaster that is barreling towards them.
Hopefully the local councils can have their assets shielded, but I suspect there will be at least some blame placed on those councils by the victims' attorneys. I think most reasonable people realize that the increasing litigation is spurred on by attorney's who just see money. And we know the attorneys will get a huge part of whatever settlement is handed down.
When I did a search for "Boy Scouts bankruptcy" before writing this, the first four results were ads for attorneys looking for victims.
Will the BSA survive as an organization? I think it's possible, but it will only be a dim shadow of what it once was. It would be a sad thing for the organization to lose assets like the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. I wouldn't mind having that property. It's a beautiful area.
I do expect the local councils, especially those along the mountain west (Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Arizona), to be reorganized to better distribute membership.
I would not be surprised to see local councils selling some of their properties as they become less utilized and just cost the councils money to maintain. I think this is most likely to happen in Utah and Idaho. There are some properties I like owning, and make into a youth retreat/camp.
The title of this USA Today article https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/02/20/bankruptcy-boy-scouts-chapter-11-ethics-sexual-abuse/4805003002/ is "Did the Boy Scouts violate their own honor code by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy?"
I'm not going to debate either way about whether bankruptcy is honorable or not. I personally think bankruptcy is dishonorable, but I also recognize that it may be the only viable option. That said, I think it is used too often.
Anyway. I've stated in past posts that the Boy Scouts violated their honor code when they failed to do all they could to protect the youth in their care. They further violated their honor code when they went after money over values. And they violated their honor code in allowing adults as leaders who have values contrary to the traditional values that the Boy Scouts used to espouse. I personally believe if the BSA had held true to their traditional values that the new laws eliminating statutes of limitations (which has increased the litigation flood) probably would not have passed, and the BSA wouldn't be facing the disaster that is barreling towards them.
Hopefully the local councils can have their assets shielded, but I suspect there will be at least some blame placed on those councils by the victims' attorneys. I think most reasonable people realize that the increasing litigation is spurred on by attorney's who just see money. And we know the attorneys will get a huge part of whatever settlement is handed down.
When I did a search for "Boy Scouts bankruptcy" before writing this, the first four results were ads for attorneys looking for victims.
Will the BSA survive as an organization? I think it's possible, but it will only be a dim shadow of what it once was. It would be a sad thing for the organization to lose assets like the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. I wouldn't mind having that property. It's a beautiful area.
I do expect the local councils, especially those along the mountain west (Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Arizona), to be reorganized to better distribute membership.
I would not be surprised to see local councils selling some of their properties as they become less utilized and just cost the councils money to maintain. I think this is most likely to happen in Utah and Idaho. There are some properties I like owning, and make into a youth retreat/camp.
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