I'm not in favor of alcohol consumption. I enjoy the occasional beer, I prefer it in moderation. I'm in favor of letting the individual decide for himself if he wants to consume alcohol. It's sort of like the whole 'pro-abortion vs. pro-choice' distinction. I don't necessarily want abortions to occur, but I support the right of women to choose for themselves.
i agree the age is to old , many countries allow drinking at a younger age . If you're old enough to serve your country then you are old enough to drink.
When it comes to alcohol consumption let the parents have their say by petitioning the government into lowering the drinking age to whatever. We're not seeing much demand from parents on that issue.
Lol man I have nothing but respect for our military, I'm not dogging them in any way. I know it's all volunteer, and that's all fine and dandy. I'm just saying its hypocritical in a sense. I just think it's funny that our nations youth is allowed to sign the dotted line for the opportunity to participate in war, yet a pint of Guinness is too much for them to handle.
So, should we make it legal for those under 21 who did sign the dotted line? I don't have a problem with the military allowing the troops under 21 to drink at clubs on base. But if they do leave the base intoxicated and get caught, then burn their asses good. Make a strong example of those offenders so others won't screw up a good thing for the rest.
Yes, and I pointed out that no matter what arbitrary age you set into law, people will drink if they want to.
I could go with that as long as they are under supervision. These men and women sign up to protect us against anything, I'd say that responsibility alone is good enough to get a beer lol. On base of course like you said, and that rule only applies to those in the service.
I don't believe in arbitrary age limits for such things. First of all, they don't actually work. I drank underage all the time. Second, each case is unique. There are societies all throughout history who have allowed younger people to use drugs, mostly alcohol. It's a question of maturity, not age. I feel like if we treated people more like adults, they would tend to act more like adults.
When I was 19 and living in California, Arizona's legal age for beer and wine was 19, so I would go over to Yuma, about 60 miles, anytime I didn't want to go to Mexicali to drink. That year, the Feds decided the drinking age should be consistent throughout the land, and the government encouraged Arizona to toe the line. Naturally, I was perturbed, but I was quickly mollified when the brave Arizonans rose up as one it seemed and told the Feds that Arizona would never succumb to federal meddling. A few days later the Feds told Arizona, "That's fine, but you won't be getting any more federal transportation funds." The frickin' brave Arizonans didn't wait long to cave.
Did you not have the questionable convenience store in the bad part of town to shop at or a friend with an older brother like most underage drinkers I have known utilize?
No older brother, but there were questionable convenience stores and such. Once when I was 17 my sidekick, Dan Gistain, and I scored a twelve pack and suckered a couple females to join us on a ditch-bank out in the country. There we were enjoying ourselves when some Sheriff's deputies should up unannounced. So we're pouring out the beers while being interrogated: "What's your first name?" "David." "And your last name?" "Smevins." (Name changed to protect the guilty) Then the deputy went to Dan. "Your first name?" "Dan." "Last name" "Gistain", but it sounds like, "just Dan." "All right, smart-ass. Do you want to spend the night in juvenile hall?"
and the US FAA regulates the entire world?... the USA is not the center of the universe or the even the planet...
I would say both. You should not be buying alcohol before you are 21 and the shopkeeper should not be selling it to you before you are 21.
Neither of you, and seeing as how you're in Australia where the drinking age is only 18, there are no relevant politicians to jail, either.
The drinking age should always be tied to the minimum age required to join the military. If you can be sent somewhere to potentially die for your country, your country can let you legally have a beer.
But thi9s is entirely beside the point. It's not a question at all of whether they "deserve" a beer, it's entirely to do with whether they can consent to one. That doesn't change just because you joined the military - I don't care how noble your job is. If the state wants to base the drinking age off something other than age I'd applaud that - but make parents the judge of when their sons and daughters are ready to drink. Only making an exemption for military members is silly. [hr][/hr] We have under-21 drinking here and heads haven't exploded. Sure, the current affairs programs run yellow journalism stories every weeknight about one-punch attacks and hooligan youths, but that's no different from any time or place. Fact is, the elderly has been interested in stories which portray younger generations in a negative light since the start of time. I remember a newspaper article about the widespread availability of books due to the printing press making the younger generation spoiled and loaded with knowledge but short of experience. As we get older the world moves on from where we were when we were young, and it becomes that for another generation. The media always sensationalizes stories about the younger generation's rebellious nature because there is always a market for it. That's what the older generation wants to watch. That's fine - I've got nothing against people choosing stories they enjoy watching, but it shouldn't dictate policy. Crime is continually on the decline. Awareness surrounding alcohol is at an all-time high. It's socially unacceptable to drink while pregnant. There is easy labeling on alcohol, even showing the number of hours it'll take the average liver to process. Sure, some people between 18 and 21 know the risks and decide to drink in excess anyway. That's not the point. There comes a time when we stop punishing the choice, and start punishing the results of that choice. That time is when you become an adult: at 18. Period. It's a rights thing. You might see them as young, but the law does not. Alcohol regulations should reflect that.
