Change it to page 2.

8/20/2008 1:30:59 AM

Quote :

"I thought you could still buy it..like you were grandfathered in, or was that only in certain states? is anybody old enough to know?"

I think it depended on the state.

And for those saying it would somehow get worse in high schools, was it really that bad before they changed it to 21? I would think it's about the same now. I don't remember there being any parties in high school without alcohol.

8/20/2008 1:36:18 AM

Lower the age to 18, but keep the drunk driving laws the same for people under 21 as they are now. bous has it exactly right:

Quote :

"at least now most of the underaged drinkers KNOW they can't drive even with a drop in them. if they lower the age, that's more fucking idiots that think they're under .08 but at .16 driving around picking off innocent ppl."

It seems unreasonable and hypocritical to make drinking come later than voting, cigarettes, porn, and the draft, but most Americans seem to be more or less OK with graduated driving privileges. That way you retain some of the benefit of a 21 drinking age (less drunk driving) but can still get rid of the outright hypocrisy.

8/20/2008 2:33:55 AM

i dont get what the big deal is...whoopty do...its fucking 3 more years

8/20/2008 2:34:58 AM

I would also support the new drinking law if it permitted us to deport drunknloaded to Cuba at the earliest possible opportunity.

8/20/2008 2:35:45 AM

I would also support the new drinking law if it permitted us to deport GrumpyGOP to Cuba at the earliest possible opportunity.



yep...sounds gay when i say it too

8/20/2008 2:36:59 AM

wow. you're edgy man

8/20/2008 2:38:29 AM

no homo

8/20/2008 2:39:24 AM

Quote :

"And for those saying it would somehow get worse in high schools, was it really that bad before they changed it to 21?"

In my experience (and a quick search lately) I haven't found much evidence. The thing that I've seen thrown around the most is between states that had/have different drinking age policies. Think about the kind of state that would voluntarily enact the 21 law. I'm gonna guess Utah's on it. Now think about the kind of state that would actively want it to be at 18 -- say, Wisconsin and Louisiana. Here's a shock, kids in Utah drink less than kids in Wisconsin because everybody in Utah drinks less. It's a pretty poor understanding (or outright manipulation) of the statistics.

[Edited on August 20, 2008 at 2:56 AM. Reason : ]

8/20/2008 2:44:10 AM

Quote :

"Here's a shock, kids in Utah drink less than kids in Wisconsin because everybody in Wisconsin drinks less"

you mean utah right?

i don't see what the big deal is, make it whatever you want, people drink under 21, under 18, whatever. I had 3 older siblings, I drank all throughout high school, and whenever I could in college, and when I turned 21 and I could buy it whenever I felt like it, it wasn't as cool as it used to be. I still drink a couple times a week, but not to the extent that I felt like I needed to finish every beer and save up my beers for one night and whatever I did...

8/20/2008 2:55:03 AM

Yeah that was a fuckup, sorry. I fixed it.

Quote :

"people drink under 21, under 18, whatever."

The problem here is that you don't want to get people habituated to breaking the law. Things like a 21 year old drinking age cause a lot of young people to get very used to finding ways around legal authority, or simply ignoring it altogether. Once you realize that drinking laws are some bullshit you can can get away with breaking, maybe you start thinking the same thing about smoking pot (which I'm not saying should be illegal, that's beside the point). After that, there's two bullshit laws you can break with the greatest of ease. Makes it seem more likely that there's another, then another, and so on.

Having laws that are constantly disregarded by a huge number of people erodes the foundation of society, and most people think that's a bad thing. So you either make people regard the law, or you get rid of it.

8/20/2008 3:01:11 AM

UK drinking age: 16 (really 5 but not completely), purchase age: 18

In other news, the UK seems to have a big problem with teenage pregnancies. Those silly teens.

8/20/2008 5:00:50 AM

Good Americans don't obey unjust and stupid laws, like the idiotic 21 year old drinking age, drug laws, etc.

8/20/2008 6:09:36 AM

Can you imagine how much bars would suck if every night was college night

8/20/2008 6:29:45 AM

Not that much if everyone was drinking and was used to doing it.

8/20/2008 6:40:34 AM

raise the age
harsher punishments for fake ids and drinking underage

8/20/2008 7:49:54 AM

being a bartender, but more importantly a sensible human being, I think lowering the drinking age is a HORRIBLE, IDIOTIC idea. Every day I see how 21-year-olds, presumably with 3 years more sense than an 18-year-old, handle alcohol and the responsibilities therein. Hell, I see fully-grown adults with careers and families and mortgages do shit I wouldn't expect a 14-year-old to do on his first drunken high.

This "lower it to teach moderation" is retarded. Most kids have gotten through much of the binge-drinking phase by the time they hit 21 anyway, so what are you gonna do? Give a bunch of inexperienced, even-more-immature drivers legal access to alcohol? Please, give them their own highways so I don't die on the way to Harris Teeter.

And if drinking is "cool" when you're 18-20 because it's illegal, what happens when it's cool to 14-17 year-olds? Do you really want your ninth-grade kid having even easier access to beer when his senior friends go to the convenience store on their lunch break?

The ONLY argument that holds any weight with me is the military "if you can defend our country you should be able to have a beer." I wholeheartedly agree, and if anything at all changes it should be this: come show me your military I.D. and you can have all the beer you want.

8/20/2008 8:16:20 AM

change the atmosphere.

if it is lowered to 18, and attitudes change so it isn't so "hip" to drink underage anymore, then it won't be a big deal.

the point is, if you make it something people won't give two shits about, then it won't be a problem

8/20/2008 9:31:06 AM

Quote :

" I think lowering the drinking driving age is a HORRIBLE, IDIOTIC idea. Every day I see how 21 40-year-olds, presumably with 3 24 years more sense than an 18 16-year-old, handle alcohol cars and the responsibilities therein."

Yeah, that's not really much of an argument. Also, I'm sure the people that you see getting wasted at the bar are examples of your average person, and will reflect what all 18-20 year-olds will do when allowed to purchase their own alcohol. Our society fucked up when it demonized alcohol and its use instead of promoting responsible use, much like the abstinence vs. safe sex drama right now.

[Edited on August 20, 2008 at 9:38 AM. Reason : 1]

8/20/2008 9:34:20 AM

Quote :

"what happens when it's cool to 14-17 year-olds? Do you really want your ninth-grade kid having even easier access to beer when his senior friends go to the convenience store on their lunch break?"

a) it already is cool
b) when I was in 9th grade it was not difficult to get alcohol
c) anyone retarded enough to drink beer during school hours would do it regardless of the legality

8/20/2008 9:37:50 AM

Any state that lowers the drinking age automatically loses 10% of their federal highway funding.

So it will never happen.

8/20/2008 10:39:53 AM

raise alcohol taxes/prices for ppl 18-21 to make up the difference

8/20/2008 10:40:33 AM

Quote :

"change the atmosphere. if it is lowered to 18, and attitudes change so it isn't so "hip" to drink underage anymore, then it won't be a big deal. the point is, if you make it something people won't give two shits about, then it won't be a problem"

Does anyone seriously drink just because it's illegal?

I drank more after turning 21 than before, because I could buy stuff myself and not have to get someone to buy crap I don't want for me.

8/20/2008 11:11:25 AM

In Wisconsin, parents can buy their underage kids alcohol, even in public settings. I think you have to be 16 or 18 or something at least, I'm not certain. Anyways, they view it as acceptable if parents are involved, which I don't think is a bad idea. Especially if you have responsible parents.

My parents were always of the belief that "If you're going to drink, at least bring your friends here and do it at home where we can be here if you need us." They didn't condone it, but pretty much knew it was inevitable.

8/20/2008 11:58:13 AM