Posted on 06/24/2004 6:48:33 PM PDT by Pikamax
Colo. Senate Hopeful: Lower Drinking Age
Friday June 25, 2004 2:16 AM
DENVER (AP) - Republican Senate candidate and brewery magnate Peter Coors has reiterated his support for lowering the drinking age to 18, saying that young people drink anyway and the government has made them criminals.
During a debate with primary opponent Bob Schaffer on Wednesday, Coors didn't back down from remarks he made several years ago in support of lowering the drinking age from 21. Coors said it could help teenagers learn to drink responsibly.
He also criticized government efforts to force states to raise the legal age. ``I don't think that's a proper use of the executive branch,'' he said.
The remarks set off criticism Thursday.
``Underage drinking destroys lives and costs our nation billions of dollars,'' said James Copple, co-director of the International Institute for Alcohol Awareness.
The Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation said underage drinking costs the nation $62.6 billion annually in deaths, injuries, property damage, and related economic and productivity losses. It said alcohol consumption by underage drinkers in 2001 led to 3,212 deaths nationwide.
Coors did not return phone calls seeking comment.
I agree with the age 18. That's what it was when I grew up in NY State. Some people can't be trusted with beer at any age.
I don't know that I'd object to lowering the drinking age, but a) coming from a Coors, that looks like a HUGE conflict of interest, which makes him look bad, and b) his particular reason is akin to arguing in favor of amnesty for illegal aliens on the grounds that "they come in anyway and the government has made them criminals."
Yeah, there were a lot of 21 year old + that drank responsibily when I was at college.
What a loon.
As was the case before (and technically still is) each state should be able to decide for themselves the legal drinking age. Be it 12, 16, 18, 21, or 50 without the threat from the Imperial Federal Government (IFG) that it will take away its federal highway dollars and other monies.
Drinking made me the man I am today.......crippled.
18-year olds can get drafted and join the army and kill people. Theycan get married and have kids and go through child birth, but they can't have a drink.
I hate the anti-drinking nazis and I have since before I was 18 (long ago).
You just proved his point. Age isn't the issue, it's being responsible...
The issue is responsible drinking. Those who grow up in household that teach responsible drinking do not wind up abusing alcohol. Prohibition, instead of solving the problem of abuse, masks the problem. It's like raising the tax on tobacco products. Now we got a generation of youth that smoke more dope than tobacco.
Be interesting,
Prohabitory groups vs brewing, distling and resturant industries.
Drinking got me in the state I'm in today .... happily married for 20 years to the woman who took a shine to my drunken humor in a bar.
It's not the booze, it's the person -- and the law of averages
Be interesting,
Prohabitory groups vs brewing, distling and resturant industries.
Old enough to vote, old Enough to drink.
Let's raise the voting age back to 21.
Well, how about a compromise.
Gain a high school diploma and you can achive the right to consume alcohol at an age lower than 21. Imagine the incentive for a child to graduate early. ;-)
That which we are not permitted to have becomes a far greater temptation. I suspect the absurd age limit of 21 contributes to binge drinking in colleges -- since we might not be able to score this beer, vodka, bourbon, or whatever next week, the thinking goes, we'd better make the most of it while we can.
I also believe that it makes sense for kids to "learn how to drink" before they get their drivers' licenses. Again, in Europe, the driving age is 18 for the most part.
We tried that in TX a few years ago and it was a disaster! The younger folk aren't sufficiently matured enough to handle the booze!
Gotta agree with lowering the beer & wine age back to 18. If you're old enough to vote & die for your country, you should be old enough to drink. As it stands right now, the 21-for-everything mandate is just another in a long line of scoff-laws perpetrated upon us by the nanny-state.
Actually, I really like this idea. Might work - all about incentivizing the right behavior.
Right on. How dare "we" (the gubmint) forbid a 20 year old man who has sustained injuries, killed enemies, and given up so much of his short life for his country from drinking a beer.
I'd say that's a damn travesty.
While I would prefer that my son smoke neither, if I had to choose, I would not choose cigarettes.
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