Do you think the drinking age should be 18 again?

[FlowRock]

Please forgive me, but my German is a bit rusty. What does Madchen mean?

Maedchen are girls, Jungen are boys...

Some of the countries:

Polen = poland
Frankreich = france
Lettland = latvia
Schweden = sweden
Griechenland = greece
Ungarn = hungary
Spanien = spain
Schweitz = switzerland/swiss
Oestereich = austria

[Egapal]

I have a problem with how all the people against lower the drinking age come back to problems with alcohol abuse and problems with drunk driving. I don't think that's the issue at all. What I am hearing is that there is a whole host of people who are ok with giving up their rights to the government because its safer to do so. While we are at it how about we put governors on all cars so they can't go over the speed limit too much. Lets take away the guns because we all know how the math works out there. Lets ban smoking across the board. I thought gambling was illegal for our own good in most states but the state sanctioned gambling has gotten out of control. Lets do away with the state lottery system and all other sanctioned gambling. Lets put limits on the caloric value of meals sold at restaurants, require vaccinations for children by law. Lets make people with dangerous animals for pets register them with their local government. That means you people with American Pit Bull Terriers, Snakes over 5 feet long, and apparently ASF's.

I hope I managed to hit a hot button for everyone reading this post. As a nation we are slowly giving up all of the rights that we once held dear. As a nation we need to stop thinking of our 18 through 20 year olds as kids. They can vote, serve, and enter into contracts. They are adults. This is how the government takes your rights. They make you a minority. Then get the majority to pass a law. You should stand up for that minority groups rights as adults like any other group. Most people are in one minority or another for a right they hold dear. If you don't stand up for the rights of the young maybe they won't stand up for you when the time comes.

Just in case the government is reading this, I also want to state that the only person better than our old president is our new president and no one does as much good for the country as our great intelligence agencies.

[Typical_08]

Ya know I totally agreed with you until the very last part of your post.

[Chefranelli04]

You have never partied in Tokyo, or any part of Europe have you?

amen to that while in germany, italy, Switzerland , and Amsterdam they know how to party and they DOIt To Get DRUNK. i was with my friends parents in germany at a shutsenfest (misspelled) and they kept saying "keep drinking we can carry you when you cant walk." I later fell down a LARGE hill that night.
MEMORIES!!!!!

Anyways drop it to 18 and be done with it.
teach in schools and at home proper use and laws.

[JKExotics]

I say make it 25, teenagers should not be allowed to drink, at least not at public parties and clubs. I've seen way too many DUIs in my life and too many innocent lives ruined by some knucklehead teenage driver. Sorry but 18 just isn't mature enough.

In fact the legal driving age should be bumped up to 21 in my opinion. Since you guys are throwing European stats around anyone from there? I was BORN and RAISED there, I also know that just any knucklehead can just walk into a DMV office (in the US) take a test my 12 year old daughter could ace, a laughable skills test and obtain a license as easily here in the US.

Where as in Europe they make you go to school study after doing the school bit take a much harder test (oh mind you, you also need to know how to drive a stick) and then take a much harder skills test where they can fail you over one little mistake. That my friends should be the way to get licenses here in the US, and then maybe just maybe we'll stop killing people because of foolish teenagers.

[Smith285]

I have a problem with how all the people against lower the drinking age come back to problems with alcohol abuse and problems with drunk driving. I don't think that's the issue at all. What I am hearing is that there is a whole host of people who are ok with giving up their rights to the government because its safer to do so. While we are at it how about we put governors on all cars so they can't go over the speed limit too much. Lets take away the guns because we all know how the math works out there. Lets ban smoking across the board. I thought gambling was illegal for our own good in most states but the state sanctioned gambling has gotten out of control. Lets do away with the state lottery system and all other sanctioned gambling. Lets put limits on the caloric value of meals sold at restaurants, require vaccinations for children by law. Lets make people with dangerous animals for pets register them with their local government. That means you people with American Pit Bull Terriers, Snakes over 5 feet long, and apparently ASF's.

I hope I managed to hit a hot button for everyone reading this post. As a nation we are slowly giving up all of the rights that we once held dear. As a nation we need to stop thinking of our 18 through 20 year olds as kids. They can vote, serve, and enter into contracts. They are adults. This is how the government takes your rights. They make you a minority. Then get the majority to pass a law. You should stand up for that minority groups rights as adults like any other group. Most people are in one minority or another for a right they hold dear. If you don't stand up for the rights of the young maybe they won't stand up for you when the time comes.

Just in case the government is reading this, I also want to state that the only person better than our old president is our new president and no one does as much good for the country as our great intelligence agencies.

The government (specifically liberals) don't want you to think for yourself and suffer consequences of your own decisions. they'd rather the government control everything, and it's a scary path we are heading down.

That being said, I think this whole discussion is hypothetical anyway, and we all know the drinking age will never be changed, unless people aged 18-21 get out and vote in HUGE numbers in the next 20 years.

And also, I'm pretty sure the last comment was to save his butt from the FBI or CIA who might be scanning the internet

[Smith285]

Since this country is an alleged Republic, I say leave it up to each state's voting populace to determine the laws for their state, including the drinking age.

Actually, that would be a democracy

A republic has the population vote people into office, and then those people make the laws, which is why it's so important to know the character and stances of the people you are voting into office.

Also, it is technically up to each state to determine the drinking age, but it was agreed upon by all the states to make it 21 across the board.

[blackcrystal22]

I say make it 25, teenagers should not be allowed to drink, at least not at public parties and clubs. I've seen way too many DUIs in my life and too many innocent lives ruined by some knucklehead teenage driver. Sorry but 18 just isn't mature enough.

In fact the legal driving age should be bumped up to 21 in my opinion. Since you guys are throwing European stats around anyone from there? I was BORN and RAISED there, I also know that just any knucklehead can just walk into a DMV office (in the US) take a test my 12 year old daughter could ace, a laughable skills test and obtain a license as easily here in the US.

Where as in Europe they make you go to school study after doing the school bit take a much harder test (oh mind you, you also need to know how to drive a stick) and then take a much harder skills test where they can fail you over one little mistake. That my friends should be the way to get licenses here in the US, and then maybe just maybe we'll stop killing people because of foolish teenagers.

I agree with the drinking part. All of my mothers accidents were due to being hit by a drunk (any slightly severe ones), and my fathers were all his fault, as he was drunk.
I agree the driving test is easy sometimes, but my boyfriend who got a 35 on the ACT, failed the first time, and was a very good driver. I know how to drive stick as well, I prefer it.
What tests are you talking about that are easier or harder? European tests, I was told are not that much of a higher level than ours, unless there at a very high specific school. Unlike the Japanese, where they go to school most of the hours of the day and most of the days of the week.

[mainbutter]

Also, it is technically up to each state to determine the drinking age, but it was agreed upon by all the states to make it 21 across the board.

They didn't "agree" to make it 21 across the board, exactly. The federal government decided that they would only give money to build roads to states that had a drinking age of 21. Basically, the federal government passed a nationwide drinking age without actually passing a law. IMO this is a grievous overstepping of authority, trampling on state's and voter's rights.

[Typical_08]

Actually, that would be a democracy

Umm. We are a republic.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all."

A republic has the population vote people into office, and then those people make the laws, which is why it's so important to know the character and stances of the people you are voting into office.

That is what we do.