College students and other groups across America have long lobbied for the national drinking age to be lowered from 21 to 18. Now, a group of college professors, many from very esteemed universities, have joined forces in this campaign with their group, Amethyst Initiative.
Every state in the Union has the legal age for the purchase and consumption of alcohol set at age 21, which was done in large part for individual states to receive federal funding for roadways. This was done in the 1980's, and has been controversial ever since.
The Amethyst Initiative is not only challenging the 21 and over law, but is doing so in a very broad, legitimate, and convincing manner, and not with your usual college age party types, but with those who educate them.
Not to be out-done, the very vocal, and somewhat radical MADD (mothers against drunk driving) is speaking out against any data or statistics brought forth by the proponents of lowering the legal age. MADD is also calling upon its members and supporters to write to their Representatives, as well as the College Professors, to urge they reconsider this action. (letter to members below):
An estimated 25,000 lives have been saved by the 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA), which is why we were gravely concerned to learn that the college and university presidents and representatives listed below have added their names to a misguided initiative aimed at attacking the minimum drinking age of 21.
We are not alone in our concern. The public strongly disagrees with efforts to lower the drinking age. According to new survey released by Nationwide Insurance this week:
- 78 percent of adults support 21 as the minimum drinking age
- 72 percent of adults think lowering the drinking age would make alcohol more accessible to kids
- Nearly half believe it would increase binge drinking among teens
- More than half say they are less likely to vote for a state representative who supports lowering the legal limit or send their children to colleges or universities with “party school” reputations
We must work together to find a responsible solution to the underage drinking problem, one that does not jeopardize a law that has saved nearly 25,000 lives since going into effect. Solutions include: enforcing the drinking age, tightening alcohol policy, working within the college community to ensure the environment supports the above and working with parents to talk to their children well before peer pressure begins, around fourth grade.
Strong and convincing words, but are they even close to resembling accuracy?
Both sides of the issue share very compelling and conflicting statistics. However, even though I am the mother of a child killed by an underage drunk driver, I simply cannot support the efforts of MADD. Researching their data leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. Its faulty, and certainly played to the hysteria of all victims of drunk driving. I believe they fluff the numbers, calling any and all accidents in which ANY of those involved in an incident had consumed alcohol, an alcohol related crash. For example, a passenger of a car is intoxicated, and is struck by another unrelated, sober driver/vehicle. This is automatically classified as an alcohol related crash. Is this really true? If I as a sober driver hit someone with an intoxicated passenger, how on earth can it be called an alcohol related crash? These incidents are most certainly counted in MADD's statistics.
On the other hand, I simply cannot support the idea of lowering the drinking age to include 18 year old high school students. I have raised three sons, and understand that most young people of this age, ages 18 to 20, are not the most responsible in their every day lives, let alone throwing alcohol into the mix. This tends to create reckless behavior, one which continues to kills scores of young men from 16 to 20.
I love you David Loring...don't drink and drive...Visit David's website ://david-robyn-loring.memory-of.com
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8 comments:
Is the woman who started MADD still married? Her husband was arrested for drunken driving. That was covered up pretty fast.
As far as I’m concerned MADD is another organization run by people who need to get a real job!
Personally, I don’t feel they need to reduce the age for all alcohol products, but I would not object to having “beer bars” for 18 and older. Same type Kenosha had back in the 60’s and 70’s.
http://www.dailykenoshan.com/
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We are currently OFFLINE, having server issues..and John is at the Outdoor with his boys. (I wimped out, too hot....)
DK will be back online around midnight or so.
As for alcohol, I don't like the idea of high school age kids being able to purchase and consume booze legally...Asking for trouble if you ask me.
Another tough subject DK. I sent my beloved child to a college with a "party reputation." Madison is a fine institution. I am not sorry one bit. My child was responsible and stuck to the business at hand. You can't judge by figures alone.
Also, saying that 18 year olds are high school age kids is not totally accurate. Most achieve that age late in their senior year or after graduation.
The truth of the matter is, kids who want to or are inclined to drink, or binge drink will do so with or without legality. Same thing for drugs, sex or any destructive behavior.
I'm all for keeping kids safer. Statistics show that alcohol related deaths in that age group dropped when the legal age went to 21. But I don't know if all the statistics were accurately looked at. There is so much manipulation of facts on both sides of this issue to prove whatever the group reporting wants to claim, it is hard to believe all you read.
I find it hard to accept that my child is not responsible enough to have a drink, but can get married, have an abortion, not share their medical information, me not having access to their grades in college despite paying the bills.....or ship themselves off to Iraq to kill another human. Something is out of whack.
Just read your column on legal drinking age. Fine, as it appears many of today's youth are learning how drink at home with Mom & Dad!!
What many of us are trying to do, is have our GOVERNMENT force mandatory HEALTH WARNING LABELS on ALL CONTAINERS! We also asked for a price increase, & thankfully by the Grace of GOD, it is currently up for review, that being TAX increase on ALL liquor sales !!!
I realize that many readers will NOT like me for my comment, BUT TO BAD ! They haven't lost the man of the dreams, to Alcohol caused illness, HAVE THEY? They haven't lost THEIR HEALTH or ABILITY TO WORK & EARN MONEY, being FORCED TO RETIRE EARLY & try to live off CPP?
NO.........SO, sorry, there are many like you 'Ser' who have absolutely NO idea exactly what you're talking about!!!
ALL ALCOHOL contains sufficient ability to dish out, as IT SEES FIT, many illness's, 99% of which have NO CURE whatsoever!!!
Now, do you want this for our youth? Uummm, who will be taking care of us old fuddy duddy's in the future? If they're all ill themselves from liquor?
Gee......that's something to think about !
SHEILA JOYCE GIBBS
sjgibbs@shaw.ca
ps: NO, I don't belong to MADD, but agree with them 100%......!!
Wow, I hardly know how to respond to "Sheila's" post...I'm not sure if she even read what I wrote...but, its obvious she has an intense dislike of alcohol. Not sure which part of the article implied that I was in favor of lowering the legal drinking age, and worse yet her assuming that my boys "learned to drink" at home. (hardly)
Sheila, I guess we won't have to worry about my son becoming an
old fuddy duddy now, do we?
As angry as you seem, you are far from being the only one who has lost someone due to alcohol. According to some sources, someone is killed by a drunk driver every 30 minutes in the US.
SHEILA, first of all I would like to thank you for your comments. That’s one thing that is great about America, freedom of speech.
Have you lost the man of your dreams to alcohol? No I haven’t, but then I’m not gay. Although I have lost a brother-in-law in an alcohol related motorcycle accident. He crashed so hard it blow his guts out his ass, I was there, not pretty. But he was stupid and I don't feel sorry.
You spoke of a tax increase, why I don’t know. Tax increases are not going to stop drinking, it will not stop today’s youths either. Actually if you go to a liquor store and ask what kind of alcohol the 21 year olds are purchasing, it’s all top shelf stuff, so if the tax goes up a dollar a bottle, they’ll still buy it.
Worst part of taxes, the money won’t go for education, it will go to some politician’s pet project(s), nothing related to which it was implied.
I quote, “SO, sorry, there are many like you 'Ser' who have absolutely NO idea exactly what you're talking about!!!” Well Sheila, yes I know what I’m talking about. I don’t know how old you are and don’t care, but if you get out your history book and read about when the government outlawed alcohol, you’ll see the “Black Market” did very well during those times. Is this something you would like to see again?
On a closing note, I’m glad you’re not a member of MADD, because it’s still an organization where these individuals need to get a life.
Lowering the drinking age is a bad idea. The one and only exception I can think of is someone on active military duty. They should be allowed to drink on base.
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