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To: NorCoGOP
Sorry, already tried it. The highways were bathed in blood.

The states all raised 'em again.

I remember this distinctly: I turned 18 just a couple of years after lowering the age became the "in thing," and though I don't drink I had plenty of friends who did, and two were killed in drinking-related traffic accidents.

2 posted on 11/29/2002 10:10:17 AM PST by Illbay
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To: Illbay
Sorry, already tried it. The highways were bathed in blood.

LOL!! You are so melodramatic.

6 posted on 11/29/2002 10:12:40 AM PST by FreeTally
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I think America should lower the age to 18.

The maturity level would increase.

7 posted on 11/29/2002 10:13:01 AM PST by Jakarta ex-pat
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To: Illbay
Sorry, already tried it. The highways were bathed in blood.

What's a little hyperbole between friends, eh?

9 posted on 11/29/2002 10:21:37 AM PST by mc5cents
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To: Illbay
Sorry, already tried it. The highways were bathed in blood.

Already tried it where? The drinking ages have gone up but I never heard of them going back down again.

The drinking age of 21 has been a complete disaster for all the reasons cited above. Under 21 drinking has been driven underground, forcing young adults to drink away from responsible adult supervision, where they often get into more trouble. The "forbidden fruit" syndrome encourages young adults to drink more than they normally would had they legally had access to it, because they do not know when they might have access to it again and thus want to take full advantage of the current situation.

This age 21 madness took hold in the early 1980s when I was serving in the Marine Corps. The military decided to keep the beer flowing in the enlisted clubs regardless of age, because otherwise, servicemen might go out in town and get into trouble. It was a smart move and many lives (not to mention careers) were undoubtably saved. When young people are drinking among elders, they have pressure to drink more responsibly because they don't want to be perceived as lushes or losers by people who they respect. Get a bunch of 18-19-20-year-olds together with a keg of beer and no elders around - which is what happens when you make it illegal for elders to be around - and you have the ingredients for disaster.

People do not magically become responsible drinkers at the arbitrary age of 21. It takes most people a few years to learn their limits with respect to alcohol. It is so important to have responsible adults around during these years. You don't simply hand your kid the keys to the car when he turns old enough to drive. You spend a lot of time with him first, ensuring that he or she is comfortable behind the wheel. So it should be with drinking as well.

10 posted on 11/29/2002 10:31:47 AM PST by SamAdams76
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To: Illbay
Sorry, already tried it. The highways were bathed in blood.

The states all raised 'em again.

Why did the states raise the drinking age Illboy? Why are you such a dunderhead statist?

14 posted on 11/29/2002 10:40:54 AM PST by Fred Mertz
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To: Illbay
Your example proves the opposite point. Even after the age was lowered, two of your friends were killed on the highways while drunk. In WI, I was just before the lowered age, and I only had one friend killed this way.

Also, you are quite incorrect in it being a state decision; the feds mandated it by holding highway funds over the states. Funds that were taken from the states, to be turned back to them if they do what the feds want. This is the same tactic being used to lower DWI levels to .08.

Neither tactic addresses the problem of drunks on the highways. Is the guy who has 2 beers every Friday after work, then drives home running people off the roads? Nope!
Nor is the couple who go out to dinner and share a bottle of wine. Yet, if either of these cars are pulled over, with a .08 level, they are DWI. The guy at .20 and can barely walk will get the same penalty if pulled over as someone at .081.

One is a risk, the other isn't.

How about a national drunk driver registry (with a .01 level)? Anyone who sells a car to a registered drunk is liable for ciminal penalties. Before selling a car, a seller would have to call a national hotline. Also, how about a graded level of DWI? Graded by both level of intoxication and number of offences? Hey, how about this; getting tough on the drunk drivers instead of the guy who has 2 beers after work?

MARK A SITY
http://www.logic101.net/
30 posted on 11/29/2002 11:04:47 AM PST by logic101.net
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To: Illbay
Sorry, already tried it. The highways were bathed in blood.

Lower the drinking age to 18, raise the driving age to 21!

54 posted on 11/29/2002 1:23:19 PM PST by FreedomCalls
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To: Illbay
The states all raised 'em again.

Most of the states changed to 21 because of threats from the federal government.

75 posted on 11/29/2002 4:41:55 PM PST by TankerKC
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To: Illbay
Sorry, already tried it. The highways were bathed in blood. The states all raised 'em again.

The reason the states raised the drinking age was due to federal coersion. The feds simply said to raise the age or lose federal highway funding, which is nothing more than our tax dollars being returned to us after the feds take their cut. They also pulled the same crap with helmet laws, but our legisature actually had the balls to tell them to go pound sand. It cost us a few bucks, but I'm one of a small group of Americans who can still ride legally with the wind whipping through my hair.

81 posted on 11/29/2002 6:24:36 PM PST by AlaskaErik
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To: Illbay
Sorry, already tried it. The highways were bathed in blood.

Sorry, 18 year olds are adults. They can drink if they want.

83 posted on 11/29/2002 6:27:23 PM PST by southern rock
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To: Illbay
The state were presured into raising the drinking age by the feds. I supported the lower age until I realized it might apply to you.
85 posted on 11/29/2002 6:35:40 PM PST by breakem
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To: Illbay
Sorry, already tried it. The highways were bathed in blood.

I'm for making everything age 17 -- driving, drinking, and legal adult age. To help prevent the high fatalities on the highways, I'm in favor of mandatory jail time and drivers license revocations for anyone driving above the .1 limit.

112 posted on 12/01/2002 2:22:12 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
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To: Illbay
The states all raised 'em again.

The states raised the age when the federal government blackmailed them with free "gobernment" money. They were going to cut off the free goberment money if the states didn't raise the age.

115 posted on 12/01/2002 2:32:18 PM PST by AppyPappy
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