<p>Prohibition is not okay, and neither is your statist ********.</p>
<p>Raising the age to 23 and then cracking down in and around college areas seems to be the most logical solution. Maybe attach a small unnoticed coattail to the next revision of the patriot act giving local authorities permission to inspect any house parties and such (undercover or overtly) without other probable cause.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>jk! Seriously though I think lowering the age because there is a large number of violations won't really fly. Look at the speed limit for instance....would upping/removing it on some of the better highways have a negative effect? No. Will it happen? Hell no. Our drivers ed teacher used to tell our class in MD about how he'd drive into DC so he could get beer (there was a time when DC had a drinking age lower than MD - it was 18 iirc) then drive back drunk...and I think that image is what many lawmakers have in their heads.</p>
<p>
[quote]
whatever... its not like 21 is going to stop anyone from drinking anyways</p>
<p>part of the appeal of drinking for us is that its illegal for our age group
[/quote]
</p>
<p>lol, ok</p>
<p>Lowering the drinking age isn't going to affect much, really. All it will do is lower the government's ability to raise money by fining offenders. I'm sure they're out to decrease their revenue.</p>
<p>The reason drinking is so prevalent now is that college students are given that freedom, but do not have the culpability that real adults have. A majority of them have their parents covering many of their expenses, and they are basically allowed to act as unsupervised children. No one expects college students to be adults, and not many kids really look forward to hefting around the same sense of responsibility that adults do. In college they can sort of get into the best of both worlds. They do.</p>
<p>Lowering the drinking age is not going to affect this at all. Kids'll still drink because it makes parties go over easier. Kids'll still drink because it's their first time out of the house. Kids'll still drink because it'll get them laid, .etc, .etc...</p>
<p>And, looking at it from the point of the federal government (And it would be a move by them, not the states, why do you think the state laws now just happen to agree?), they have no reason to do it unless they want to increase taxes on it and see legal sales jump. Not really a good argument from their standpoint because they have better ways to collect money. And they have strong, constant opposition against putting alcohol in the hands of youth. It is not going to happen, plain and simple.</p>
<p>but so many college kids drink to get drunk because alcohol isn't integrated in society from an earlier age.
my friends from Europe are all "getting drunk? big deal" because they've been drinking for a while now. while here it's a bit more exciting since we ARE prohibited from having any. "forbidden fruit" and whatnot.</p>
<p>I mean, are kids going to still get drunk? duh. you know this. but I think some changes in our society would help stop instances of kids getting trashed to the point of alcohol poisoning.</p>
<p>and how would the government lose revenue? there would be so many more sales! </p>
<p>some older people I know are jerks about it and charge a 'commission' for hooking up their younger friends. this wouldn't be much different from what the government could put in place: an insane tax on it until you're 21. (this could be phased out at some point, but baby steps here)</p>
<p>about drunk driving. I think our generation really is being raised with the knowledge that drunk driving is a horrible idea. everyone I know is pretty hardcore about making sure they have some way to avoid driving while drunk. staying over at someone's place, designated driver, whatever.
I don't think this situation is quite the same as it was in the past.</p>
<p>Legalisation isn't all that'd be required to integrate alcohol into society. That has everything to do with a parent's attitude towards it. It would likely retain the same "forbidden fruit" appeal. The US frankly isn't as liberal as much of Europe.</p>
<p>The government might lose revenue. I approached both sides of the point in my first post. Believe it or not, it isn't easy to raise taxes on things like liquor and cigarettes because there are already so many.</p>
<p>Anyone older than 21 is going to still take those comissions if there is an age-based tax. Nevermind that the constitutionality of an age-based tax is VERY questionable (See: Due Process, as mentioned in the 14th amendment).</p>
<p>Drunk driving is far from the only drinking-related danger that kids face. As far as the great education kids are finally getting about it, it is mostly because of the vigilance of some parents that you and I got that drunk driving education in elementary and middle school. These same parents are going to see to it that the drinking age does not drop.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The lady in charge of disability services actually said at one time that people need to go get wasted to fit in. Maybe that was a ploy so more people would get disabled somehow and need her services, since you'll probably wind up with a disability if you drink like those kids did up there...they drank beer like an SUV drinks gas.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You are so ridiculously naive and ignorant with regard to drinking. </p>
<p>
[quote]
I almost got killed by a group of drunks once. Someone obviously didn't pay attention to DARE in school, which actually does work as long as you get a good cop to teach it.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'd love to know how the group of drunks almost killed you. Do you mind sharing that story?</p>
<p>My friends and I have been drinking since freshman year in high school, so lowering the age probably wouldn't make a difference.</p>
<p>well, i'm in australia and our legal drinking age is 18. we can get our driving licences by age 17, and everything seems to work out fine over here.</p>
<p>i just want to say that the legal drinking age doesn't really affect people that much, if they don't want it too. i mean im still 17 and im over getting pi$$ed off my head. in fact i think starting to drink from an earlier age (i tink i was 15 when i started), and having experienced a lot of things associated with drinking already, its not a big deal to me anymore. And truth be told I don't particularly like it anymore. sure i'll have one or two drinks when i go out with mates from time to time, but i'm not the type of person who drinks alcohol simply coz it's 'cool' or watever, i only do it to lighten up a little when i go out.</p>
<p>so in sum.... the legal drinking age being 21 is pretty irrelevant if you ask me. itll keep the stiff-kids who are scared of alcohol from drinking till then, but for the others, its not a burden whatsoever. anyone can get access to alcohol if they really want to.</p>