I've been saying this for 20+ years. Doesn't make my wife happy that I wouldn't care if our kids drank when they are, what I consider, old enough.

COLUMN: Treat adults like adults; let 18-year-olds drink alcohol
By THOMAS J. LUCENTE Jr.
419-993-2095
tlucente@limanews.com

High school graduation season is upon us and that means parties and the inevitable appearance of overzealous police officers who think it is a matter of extreme public safety to stop adults under the age of 21 from celebrating with alcoholic beverages.
There is no compelling reason to prevent some adults, based solely on their age, from drinking alcohol.
Let there be no mistake. We are talking about adults, not children. This society, for whatever reason, has decided that 18-year-olds are adults and have reached the age of reason.
At that point in people’s lives, they can enter into legally binding contracts, purchase a home, take out bank loans, choose a spouse, vote and a host of other privileges that are bestowed on those in a free society upon coming of age.
In fact, one can even legally purchase and smoke cigarettes.
Yet, for some reason beyond all comprehension, 20-year-old adults cannot legally purchase and consume alcoholic beverages, even if it is in the very homes they purchased with loans in their names.
There is another thing 18-year-old adults can do. They can die for their country in unjust wars fought in foreign lands.
This may sound like a tired and trite argument, but it is one with new meaning today.
Nearly 20 percent of the almost 1,650 Americans killed so far in Iraq were between 18 and 20 years old, not old enough under current laws to purchase a beer in the United States.
The deaths of hundreds of American teenagers fighting a war in Iraq — a war being waged for reasons many of them can’t understand thanks to our failed government school system — probably says more about the overall poor health of our government than it does about our drinking laws.
Still, the point is valid.
President Bush has sent hundreds of teenagers to their deaths in Iraq to fight his little war. Yet, those same adults would have been unable to legally purchase a beer if they remained at home.
That is a travesty. It is a perversion and abuse of power.
If 20-year-old adults are not wise enough to make decisions concerning alcohol, then how can an 18-year-old be intelligent and informed enough to make the decision to join the military and go to war?
America’s drinking laws are, in every respect, arbitrary, unjust and immoral.
Sociologist and criminal justice professor Freda Adler once wrote, “Stripped of ethical rationalizations and philosophical pretensions, a crime is anything that a group in power chooses to prohibit.

What was this guy worried about again? I couldn't tell if it was the drinking law or the way Bush is running the country.

For his next article he should write about how it is unfair that people under 25 can't rent cars.....

blah Wrote:For his next article he should write about how it is unfair that people under 25 can't rent cars.....

There isn't a law against that...it's the free market. As a libertarian, he has no problem with it. As someone over the age of 25, neither do I.

Wasn't that one of the tradeoffs they had to make to lower the voting age? I don't remember where I heard that, but thats what I heard.

T-Monay820 Wrote:Wasn't that one of the tradeoffs they had to make to lower the voting age? I don't remember where I heard that, but thats what I heard.

I think it occurred in two different decades. After all, how much sense would it be to say, "Ok, we'll let you vote, but you can't drink". "Umm, ok moron, I'll just vote your *** out of office next election".

why does everyone want to fight laws so much? you guys are like common garden hippies. plus, the less you drink in your life, the better.

flyingswoosh Wrote:why does everyone want to fight laws so much?  you guys are like common garden hippies.  plus, the less you drink in your life, the better.

How about it's not your effin' decision? If you don't want to drink, FINE! A damn soldier that is protecting your life and liberty should be able to no matter his age.

Quote:QUOTE (flyingswoosh @ May 31 2005, 08:45 PM)why does everyone want to fight laws so much?

Because it's a stupid nanny law. You can be drafted at 18 and you can vote at 18 but we don't trust you to have a beer at 18 (or 19 or 20)?

Quote:QUOTE (flyingswoosh @ May 31 2005, 08:45 PM)plus, the less you drink in your life, the better.

That works for you, not me. I feel better during the week when I get in a 12-pack of beer or a bottle of wine on Saturday night.

Quote:QUOTE (T-Monay820  Posted on May 31 2005, 05:24 PM) Wasn't that one of the tradeoffs they had to make to lower the voting age? I don't remember where I heard that, but thats what I heard.

I thought the fed held the states hostage to get the drinking age lowered by threatining to withhold transportation funding?

Idiotic laws are made by people that think other people shouldn't do something because "they" don't do it or feel it's right. If it isn't effecting you, then, quite frankly, stfu about it. You're right Leth, it's a damn nanny law.

Lethemeul Wrote:I thought the fed held the states hostage to get the drinking age lowered by threatining to withhold transportation funding?

That seems to be pretty popular by the federal govt. They did the same thing with lowering the DUI level to 0.08 from 0.10.

JTiger Wrote:

Lethemeul Wrote:I thought the fed held the states hostage to get the drinking age lowered by threatining to withhold transportation funding?

That seems to be pretty popular by the federal govt. They did the same thing with lowering the DUI level to 0.08 from 0.10.

They also did it with the speed limit and Nevada. They stated it would be 55, Nevada said "screw you, we're keeping it at 70". The US said, "Fine, we'll withhold transportation funding". Nevada said, "Las Vegas, Reno....Hellooooo". ..and that was that.

Seriously, the money comes from the states. I think it should be against the law to hold money hostage like that. Then again, I think the entire tax structure is effed up.

flyingswoosh Wrote:why does everyone want to fight laws so much? you guys are like common garden hippies. plus, the less you drink in your life, the better.

I hardly drink at all. Usually (including now) I have to go back months to find the time I last had a beer.

But, it's the principle. We want a country that has sensible laws, has only necessary laws, and enforces the laws it does have. The latter is easier done when the first two are seen through.

Lethemeul Wrote:I thought the fed held the states hostage to get the drinking age lowered by threatining to withhold transportation funding?

Yes it was. It was Elizabeth Dole as Transportation Secretary that did it. That's why I never liked her, and never supported Bob Dole.

This happened in the late '80's and Dick Celeste ran for governor w/ a platform that included fighting this issue. He won, and did fight it in court along w/ S. Dakota. They lost and he let it drop immediately. That sort of irked me, b/c I wondered if he really tried that hard to fight it.