"Do you not know how a democratic republic works? If you don't it would take far too long and someone with much more patience than I to teach you."
Pretty funny - please oh please tell me how a democratic republic works... I guess poor lil o' me don't know nuthin' 'bout no republics and gubment. The "funny" thing is I spend a lot of my time talking to former Soviets who long for the Communist system. They are about as tolerant of "dissenting" views as some on this forum. And it's also a good explanation for why the "new" Communist Party in Russia has almost no support among the younger generations. They denounce anything that they see as "not moral" or "scum" - i.e., anyone who disagrees with them. Rock-n-Roll, dancing, partying, freedom of expression, free thought - somehow to them it's unpatriotic, vile, disgusting. What they don't understand is the Russian youth still remain patriotic, love their country, support their government, but somehow manage to enjoy the things that the older generation do not. That's why that party has atrophied. Didn't learn the trick of evolving.... There's a lesson to be learned here... The Republican party needs to have a foothold in the modern culture, shape it from within - it's a lot harder to shape something from the outside, especially if you have such an intolerance of youthful fads -doesn't bode well for the future of the GOP...
And btw, the "common opinion" did NOT decide that the drinking age should be raised - the government did. Now, of course, we voted the government in, but as I recall most did not run on the "we'll raise the age" platform.
As I told him it would take too long. With you there would be no point in even trying.