The legal age for alcohol consumption across the United States was raised in 1984 under the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which blackmailed states into raising their drinking ages to 21, or lose federal highway funding. The pious idiots at MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) who helped to influence the passing of the legislation, and have morphed from a ‘concerned group’ to a neurotic bunch of Carrie Nations.
Restricting the drinking age to 21 and over an absolute failure. If ‘underage’ people want to drink, there’s no shortage of ways to get alcohol. Trust me.
First of all, the fallacy of reducing highway fatalities is horseshit. A good number of non-alcohol-related accidents among teenagers have increased due to driving inexperience, not alcohol. In reality, the alcohol-related accidents with 21-24 year olds, has increased.
Secondly, there are so many reasons why the law discriminates against (otherwise) legal 18 year olds.
At the age of 18 one can own property, run for public office, vote, marry without parental consent, be held accountable in the eyes of the law as an adult especially with regard to felonies, and last but certainly not least, serve in the armed forces to fight for this country. They’re good enough to pick up a rifle, drive a tank, fire artillery, and operate equipment worth millions of dollars while engaging the enemy on fields of battle, but according to the MADD-ass-kissing morons in the government, they can’t be trusted with alcohol.
That’s bullshit on stilts.
If the 18-20 year olds in this country decide to band together against this lunacy, it will change in a heartbeat. Get. Out. The. Vote.
Join in the petition drive:
Launched in July 2008, the Amethyst Initiative is made up of chancellors and presidents of universities and colleges across the United States. These higher education leaders have signed their names to a public statement that the 21 year-old drinking age is not working, and, specifically, that it has created a culture of dangerous binge drinking on their campuses.
The Amethyst Initiative supports informed and unimpeded debate on the 21 year-old drinking age. Amethyst Initiative presidents and chancellors call upon elected officials to weigh all the consequences of current alcohol policies and to invite new ideas on how best to prepare young adults to make responsible decisions about alcohol use.
JOCS, USNR(RET),
I sure do. It’s all in the culture and context in which subjects like alcohol consumption are handled.
Other than originating the Euro-ethnic existence that produced everything good in the world’s gestalt, there is not much to recommend continental mores except for their somewhat “so what?” attitude toward “adult beverages” (a little Rush Lingo, there).
Adult supervision at home, coupled with no artificial “Mrs. Grundy”-induced limits goes leagues toward ameliorating the problem created by bureaucratic meddling.
I could go on,but what’s the use . . .
And you know what I mean, Cheryl.