Comments on: A Spirited Debate On A Lower Drinking Age

More Than 100 College Presidents Say Reducing Drinking Age From 21 May Cut Binge Drinking

[usclimey]

There are two big differences in the driving side of this argument between Europe and this country. Firstly, nowhere in Europe can you drive at 15. Most, if not all, you get a provisional licence at 17 (can drive with an adult). Only at 18 can you drive solo. Second the degree of driver ed. required in Europe is much higher than it is here. Most countries require 6 months to 1 year of lessons. I thisnk it''s easier and cheaper to get a private pilot''s license in this country than a driver''s lisence in Germany. If any one has per capita/ per age stats comparable for the US and Europe I''d like to see them. My guess is Europe''s numbers would be lower but not by much - 18 year old boys want to drive fast no matter what.

[rf35]

Here''s an idea: Keep the age where it''s at EXCEPT for military members. If you show a valid active duty military ID, you can buy alcohol.

[beader59]

I have a hard time with this one. Fighting in the military is a maturing part of a young person''s life. Most come out of the service with skills they would not have had otherwise. Drinking alcohol on the other hand has nothing to do with anything but getting drunk for most people between the ages of 14 and 20. What is the big deal with drinking. Spend this much effort on solving real issues. If you think changing the age will stop binge drinking, then just lower it to 14 and we will be set.

[hwy71so]

I would support RAISING the age to 25, but I think the military folks have a point too.

[myopinion381]

Whether the age is 18, 19 or 21 - if someone underaged wants to drink, they will. When I was in high school and under the legal age of 18, there were plenty of kids that had, or went, to parties and there was always a way to get booze.

[dkf218]

It is amazing to me that drinking alcohol is so important to people. Our media loves to make people believe that you cannot have a good time without drinking a beer. Don''t you think it is sad that we are debating about whether or not you can drink a can of beer. To compare fighting for your country to drinking alcohol is somewhat appalling - there is honor in defending your countries freedoms - where is the honor in getting hammered and acting like an idiot.

[honestabe8]

nrgmizer: i agree on the relative safety of pot versus alcohol, but i don''t want to ban alchol. just make the alcohol pushers compete with home grown pot for the recreational drug needs of the nation. i don''t see there any way that the alcohol pusher sales would not decrease.

[rf35]

A sad situation happened a couple of weeks ago in College Station, Texas. 15-year old girl gets new RX-8 sportscar. Too young to drive, lets 16-year old boyfriend drive. 18-year-old brother of driver is in car, and they end up with a keg in the back seat. When the cops are summoned for a suspicious vehicle cruising in the neighborhood, the 16-year-old guns it, and runs into tree at 100 miles an house. All three kids die, burned to death. Over a keg.
Posted by aggiekat2004

They died over the fact that they would have been in trouble if the police discovered the keg in the car. If the age for both driving and drinking were 18, this would have been avoided.

Legalize [pot] and ban alcohol for anyone under 30.
30 is recognized as being an adult in some countries.
Posted by nrgmizer at 01:01 PM : Aug 20, 2008

nrgmizer, welcome to America.

[mensarino]

I agree with so many others here---either lower the age to 18 for all rights or raise it to 21.Consistency should be the goal,whatever is decided.

[rytom64]

kristin1228:

They only try to control what we do so they can make money off of us. It''s the bottom line.

[swtgapch]

I find it very unnerving that a man or woman aged 18-20 can go to Iraq and possibly die for this country and not be allowed to have a beer after a hard day of fighting a war. There are more important issues out there than whether you are adult enough to fight this war but not adult enough to drink. Let ALL adults be able to drink and move on to more important issues.

[usclimey]

A sad situation happened a couple of weeks ago in College Station, Texas. 15-year old girl gets new RX-8 sportscar. Too young to drive, lets 16-year old boyfriend drive. 18-year-old brother of driver is in car, and they end up with a keg in the back seat. When the cops are summoned for a suspicious vehicle cruising in the neighborhood, the 16-year-old guns it, and runs into tree at 100 miles an house. All three kids die, burned to death. Over a keg.

Posted by aggiekat2004

Sad for sure, but an RX8 for a 15-year-old?!?!

[kristin1228]

I''m a firm believer that if you are old enough to go to war and fight for your country, you are certainly old enough to drink. get real america! we are one of the only countries that has issues/crimes related to drinking. it because of these ridiculous laws and the government trying to control everything we do...sick.

[questionnews]

Party on Wayne!! Party on Garth!!

[ricinboerne]

This is nothing more than a CYA action on the part of the colleges. They can''t police under-age drinking, nor should they have to, but they don''t want to be sued should some student die of alcohol poisoning or from falling off a third-story terrace after drinking a case of beer.

[cbsfan73]

nolalou naively asked:
"Something for parents to think about, would you rather come home and find your 18 year old daughter drinking a glass of wine with a friend, or making love with her boyfriend on the sofa?"

One leads to the other.

[rf35]

I agree that if you leave the drinking age at 21, you should raise the voting, driving, and military service ages to 21 as well. Raise the legal age for seks, too. Bottom line: anyone under 21 is a minor. Or just reduce the drinking age to 18 and raise the driving age to 18. If you''re going to have a magic age for anything, it should be across the board.

From the article: "Alcohol education that mandates abstinence as the only legal option has not resulted in significant constructive behavioral change among our students. ..."

So why do Republicans think abstinence-only seks education will work any better?

[rytom64]

MADD is completely out of hand. They were harrasing by parents and their neighbors. They must want even more money.

[nolalou]

At 21, the USA has the highest legal drinking age in the world. Frankly I don''t see how it is constitutional, since in every other way you are an adult with full adult rights at age 18. (you can get married at 18, but apparently, it''s illegal to drink champagne at your own wedding if you are under 21!)

Something for parents to think about, would you rather come home and find your 18 year old daughter drinking a glass of wine with a friend, or making love with her boyfriend on the sofa? So why is it the drinking is what''s not legal ???

[forasongca]

I turned 18 when that was the drinking age. Strangely, I don''t recall a single instance of a drunk driving accident - and especially no deaths from drunk driving - in either my high school or my college while I was there.

I believe that the problem isn''t alcohol; it''s stupidity. People don''t learn how to handle alcohol when they''re young, so they do stupid things. Someone drunk and stupid will still be stupid when they sober up. Give kids something more useful than the ineffective "just say no" pap, and maybe they''ll do something intelligent with it.