So what the deal with the drinking age? (Washington: crimes, loan)

[JerseyG]

I heard today that colleges are asking legislators to reduce the drinking age back down to 18.

The college admins are saying "we can't stop them so why not make it legal?" along with "under-aged binge drinking is a problem".

I think a dry campus is a problem and the crack-down on greek-life (where all the parties USED to be) is a problem. Now the kids have no place to go on a "dry" or "dry-ish" campus so they drink as much as they can when they can get their hands on alcohol.

My alma mater is dry and has been for a while so every time I get a call for a donation I ask the student on the other end of the phone if the campus is still dry...I hear "yes" and I tell her/him that until it's not,again, don't call me. Doesn't work on my end (still get a call 2x a year during every alumni fundraising cold-calling effort).

I'm thinking if you give kids an outlet and don't make it so taboo - it won't be such a big freaking deal. The morons who over do it will always be morons who over do it- age limit or not.

What does anyone else think?

JMHO

[GiantRutgersfan]

i am in my early 20's (over 21), and it was never a problem in college to find a place to drink or people to drink with, or buy alcohol.

They really should make it 18 to buy alcohol though. When your in your junior year of college, your not even 21 yet. Yet 90% of the people at a college will drink regularly. That number isnt exagerated or anything either.

Its just very stupid. Why have a law that next to nobody obeys? Reduce it to 18 years old.

[MPBsr]

Originally Posted by GiantRutgersfan

i am in my early 20's (over 21), and it was never a problem in college to find a place to drink or people to drink with, or buy alcohol.

They really should make it 18 to buy alcohol though. When your in your junior year of college, your not even 21 yet. Yet 90% of the people at a college will drink regularly. That number isnt exagerated or anything either.

Its just very stupid. Why have a law that next to nobody obeys? Reduce it to 18 years old.

Guess we should repel every law that no one obeys also?

Then again, Corslime thinks the drinking age is 18.

[Calico696]

If you are old enough to fight for your country, get married, vote for elected officials, apply for a loan, work a full time job etc. you should be able to buy alcohol. Just my two cents.

[pixieshmoo]

I'm on the fence with this. I agree that when you make something "taboo" it just feeds the fire of temptation. We were all that age once. I also agree that if you are considered adult enough to fight for and potentially die for your country, you should be old enough to drink. However, with that said, kids are stupid enough when they get their licenses, they think they're invincible with the way the speed and weave, etc. I can't imagine these same kids doing it drunk. I have school-aged children and it terrifies me to think about all the possibilities for them to get into trouble, hurt, or worse, especially since I lived through it and now know how close my friends and I came without ever knowing it. Yet, again, this all leads back to the fact that if they're that determined, they will find a way. Too many decisions!!!!! This is such a tough topic!!

[nicolem]

Originally Posted by Calico696

If you are old enough to fight for your country, get married, vote for elected officials, apply for a loan, work a full time job etc. you should be able to buy alcohol. Just my two cents.

Absolutely-I agree!!!!

[colleeng47]

Originally Posted by Calico696

If you are old enough to fight for your country, get married, vote for elected officials, apply for a loan, work a full time job etc. you should be able to buy alcohol. Just my two cents.

This is one of the problems with society. There is no "adult defining" age. Some things you're considered adult for at 14 or so (crimes). Other things you're an adult at 18 and others at 21. There should be one age that defines adult for EVERYTHING.

[mike0421]

Originally Posted by Calico696

If you are old enough to fight for your country, get married, vote for elected officials, apply for a loan, work a full time job etc. you should be able to buy alcohol. Just my two cents.

Can't rep you again Calico for a while, but when I can, this one will be repped.

However, I'd like to take this a step further: I think it's a states rights issue. People are overlooking the constitutionality of this issue. Before Senator Frank Lautenberg, who chaired the Transportation Committee, threatened to reduce federal highway funding by 10% to any state that did not conform, states had their own ability to set age restrictions. Now, thanks to what is an out and out circumvention of the constitution, we now have a national 21 year old age limit. Let the states decide, without coercion from Washington D.C., what the age should be, just like pre-1988.

Frank Lautenberg has to be without question, one of the greatest perverters of the Constitution that has ever been sent to Capitol Hill. And the NJ voters line up to have orgasms voting for this man. I'd love nothing more than to see Dick Zimmer end his career in November. But that isn't going to happen, is it?

[tallguylehigh]

I lived on a "Dry" campus as well and alcohol was NEVER hard to come by.

I think these people need to get a grip on reality. Kids are drinking in college, period. Driving it underground and making it "bad" is just going to make things worse because underage kids will binge because they can only get alcohol in that single monent, at that single party, before they return back to their dorm, etc. What's more, since it is "bad" if they are every really in trouble they are not going speak up because they don't want to get in trouble.

I think lowering the drinking age will take away alot of the allure of binge drinking. If you can go to the fridge and grab a beer or two while watching the game, it will make that keg party nothing special- heck with the beer they serve at those parties it might just be considered downright gross.

[JERSEY MAN]

I guess I'm by myself on this one. I say leave it alone. I've seen to many car fatalities and I think this will add to the total.