Drinking Age

[hairypumper]

It seems some colleges are pushing to get the drinking age lowered to 18. They think it will help to cut down on binge drinking. Good idea, let all the kids get the binge drinking out of the way at 15 or 16. The feds say any state lowering the age will lose 10% of their federal highway money. I'm sure if one state lowered it and the neighboring states didn't the one would make up that 10% and then some in beverage taxes. I think it's more of a sudden freedom problem than an age problem.

[evilkumquat]

I still don't understand why someone is "adult" enough to drive, vote and (most importantly) get drafted (or enlist) and get killed in the military... but WOAH! You gotta have a couple more years in you before you can be trusted with a beer!

[tandjflo]

I still don't understand why someone is "adult" enough to drive, vote and (most importantly) get drafted (or enlist) and get killed in the military... but WOAH! You gotta have a couple more years in you before you can be trusted with a beer!

wow , I've never heard that take before. I can see why people picked on you for being smarter then everyone else....

[tandjflo]

It seems some colleges are pushing to get the drinking age lowered to 18. They think it will help to cut down on binge drinking. Good idea, let all the kids get the binge drinking out of the way at 15 or 16. The feds say any state lowering the age will lose 10% of their federal highway money. I'm sure if one state lowered it and the neighboring states didn't the one would make up that 10% and then some in beverage taxes. I think it's more of a sudden freedom problem than an age problem.

I think we should do like them Canadians, eh, and make the legal drinking age 19. At least at that age you are out of high school and less likely to buy for them nagging HS freshmen..... Man, the prudes of this country sure have some noble intentions but their tactics suck on this issue and are not based in common sense.

[evilkumquat]

wow , I've never heard that take before. I can see why people picked on you for being smarter then everyone else....

Why, thank you. It's nice to hear such warm and happy thoughts.

By the way, here's a mop for all that sarcasm you've spilled all over. Please be sure to clean it all up or someone might get hurt slipping on it.

[tandjflo]

Why, thank you. It's nice to hear such warm and happy thoughts.

i would hate to see you have a monopoly on such things...

[flatbird1]

It would be a monumental clusterblunder. Just check with any police department, hospital, jail, prison, traffic court, divorce court, or cemetary. No one with an inch of sanity or an ounce of compassion would be quiet about this.
I am a dry alcoholic and I know some of the pain. I have friends who know the heartbreak and grief this can bring. This is not a moral issue, this is a social problem.

[evilkumquat]

It would be a monumental clusterblunder. Just check with any police department, hospital, jail, prison, traffic court, divorce court, or cemetary. No one with an inch of sanity or an ounce of compassion would be quiet about this.
I am a dry alcoholic and I know some of the pain. I have friends who know the heartbreak and grief this can bring. This is not a moral issue, this is a social problem.

It's only a social problem because of all the emphasis put on it!

Most countries that have more lenient drinking laws (or even no minimum age) have fewer alcohol-related problems.

Kids binge in college because they can't handle that much freedom all at once.

Kids in Europe who are traditionally allowed alcohol (albeit in small doses with parental supervision) grow up realizing wine is no big deal, so on their own, they are less likely to abuse it for the sheer novelty.

Plus, let's not forget all the ridiculously ambiguous beer and wine cooler commercials that go overboard showing just how "cool and sexy" it is to drink their product only to end the commercial with a quiet, Micro-Machine Man voiceover asking customers to please drink responsibly.

[evilkumquat]

i would hate to see you have a monopoly on such things...

I'm more into Connect Four.

Pretty sneaky, sis.

[tandjflo]

I'm more into Connect Four.

Pretty sneaky, sis.

Are you like # 9 in the world on that too ?? Please keep us updated. Thanks.

[evilkumquat]

Are you like # 9 in the world on that too ?? Please keep us updated. Thanks.

Nope.

Actually, I haven't played Connect Four since like, elementary school... pretty much the same age when tactics like yours were effective to get a rise out of someone!

[hairypumper]

Would you two mind PMing your disdain for each other so the rest of us don't have to wallow through it, Plleeease?

[james_t]

Would you two mind PMing your disdain for each other so the rest of us don't have to wallow through it, Plleeease?

I agree. And I'll get very cranky if I have to start moderating at 1:30 in the morning.

[blueangel]

I still don't understand why someone is "adult" enough to drive, vote and (most importantly) get drafted (or enlist) and get killed in the military... but WOAH! You gotta have a couple more years in you before you can be trusted with a beer!

I have to agree with you on this one evilkumquat.....it doesn't make sense that someone be adult enough to be able to vote, enlist, be drafted and stuff at the age of 18 but yet then turn around and say oh but you are NOT old enough to be able to drink.
I do think that part (not all) of the drink (binge drinking) problems is because of the age limits.
You know no matter what the legal drinking age is minors that want it are still going to find a way to get it, so what is the difference what age limits you set.
I say either set the age at 18 and once you become 18 you have all of the rights and responsibilities of an adult including drinking (also knowing that if you break the law by driving drunk or whatever that you pay the same consequences as an adult) or you up the age of adulthood to 21 and therefore you don't become an adult until you are 21 (and therefore you can't vote, enlist, be drafted or any of that stuff until you become 21)
Then if you want to take it one step further you make the penalties stiffer for those that provide alcohol to minors, minors caught drinking and stuff like that.
Don't get me wrong here I don't condone dui or drinking in general but it don't make sense to say you are adult enough for some things but not others...an adult is an adult.

[evilkumquat]

I agree. And I'll get very cranky if I have to start moderating at 1:30 in the morning.

Well, moderating this particular thread would be easy: just start one post after my first one.

Frankly, the sniping at me really seemed to come out of left field this time around.

Seriously. I could care less about insults, but if there are rules about behavior, chastise the person who started it, not the one refuses to accept humorless smarm without some sort of reaction.

Others have PM'ed me be about what they see as "unfair" moderator treatment and I usually tell them to give the moderator the benefit of the doubt, since the few times I come close to crossing the line, I've found that the moderator tries to smooth things over with a PM. In other words, just because you don't see it being taken care of in the thread itself, don't assume nothing is being done.

Perhaps in this situation, a more public response would come in handy, if nothing more than to reassure those who wish to use the forums as a place to trade ideas and observations that merely throwing insults instead of any actual debate-worthy responses will not be tolerated.

[tandjflo]

Look at post # 10 of the "My man Gore got his prize today"... How is what I said any different ?? If you're going to dish it, prepare to take it ..

[evilkumquat]

I'm a night owl.

I usually can't sleep until it's at least 2:00am, though I make it up on weekends by staying in bed until noon.

Sadly, school starts tomorrow so I'm going to have to find a way to make it by midnight or my kids will never make it on time.

[evilkumquat]

Look at post # 10 of the "My man Gore got his prize today"... How is what I said any different ?? If you're going to dish it, prepare to take it ..

Hah hah hah! You may have a point with that one.

Originally Posted by tandjflo:
I missed it. Did he finally get recognized for inventing the internet???

Originally Posted by evilkumquat:
Oh, man, that is so funny.

Do you have any tired jokes about airline peanuts or why men can't put the toilet seat down, because I just can't get enough of clichés.

Yeah, I see some possible hypocrisy on my part and for that I apologize.

However, a subtle difference between your post that focused on my (admittedly not new) argument against the current drinking age being ridiculous and my post at the time on your old "Al Gore Invented the Internet" joke is that it would be hard to find someone offended by my post while yours was an absolute dig at a Democrat Hero®.

Still, I will freely admit when I made a mistake and one was committed here.

Consider me chastised.

PS. In the future, could you please post a link? It took me forever to find that old Al Gore thread.

[ebbieday]

It seems some colleges are pushing to get the drinking age lowered to 18. They think it will help to cut down on binge drinking. Good idea, let all the kids get the binge drinking out of the way at 15 or 16. The feds say any state lowering the age will lose 10% of their federal highway money. I'm sure if one state lowered it and the neighboring states didn't the one would make up that 10% and then some in beverage taxes. I think it's more of a sudden freedom problem than an age problem.

Mixed feelings here. Though I do agree that it MIGHT cut down on the "let's do it because we're not supposed to" strictly out of rebellion, I certainly do not thing 18 year olds are mature enough to make the decision to drink and stay home and not drive. I know 30 and 40 somethings who can't even do that, so how could you expect a teenager to? Eighteen to twenty year olds love to go out and party (and didn't we all?)...they aren't homebodies yet like us old folks.

[james_t]

yours was an absolute dig at a Democrat Hero®.

You really do need to work on this inferiority complex you have...