If you're old enough to fight for your country, you SHOULD be old enough to drink???

Question

I'm 17 years old, and something really strikes me as odd.. I'll turn 18 in August and I am wondering why in the world the law says you are to young to be a responsible drinker at 18, but you are old enough to hold a gun and shott at people?

It does not add up... your opinions?

Answer 1

During the Vietnam War, this was also the issue. Young men were being shipped out to die for their country, yet they couldn't legally buy a beer. So the drinking age was lowered to 18. Unfortunately, these same young kids started drinking and driving and a lot more people got killed on the highways than died in Vietnam. So the drinking age got raised to 21 again. I doubt that it will be lowered again. It's not fair, but it saves lives.

Answer 2

Well basically back in the early 1980s... when a lot of states had drinking ages lower than 21(For example, New York my home state), Someone's kid got killed so the mother formed Mothers Against Drunk Driving. That organization lobbied congress to make a law requirig that states make their drinking ages 21 years or they forfeit 10% of their federal highway funds. Technically, the states can make their drinking ages lower if they want, but they'll lose the money due to this legal blackmail. Studies have shown that this law instead of reducing drunk driving accidents among young people it has just shifted the accidents into higher age catagories. Also, its a well known fact that kids can get access to alcohol if they want from older friends, fake IDs or just raiding their parent's liquor cabinent. As a result we have sort of a Neo-Prohibition where young people learn to disrespect the law from an early age. House parties have basically become the speakeasies of the 1990s and 2000s. Basically, 18-21 year olds who choose to drink(but not drive and kill someone) are classified as "criminals" who are otherwise law abiding. Personally, my opinion is that 18-21 year olds should be allowed to go into bars. 19 year olds should be able to purchase to drink off premesis. This would be to minimize 18 year old high school seniors from giving alcohol to 14 year old freshman.

Answer 3

I agree, 18 should be the legal drinking age, it is in most countries, 18 was the legal age in some states, but the federal government forced the states to raise it to 21 or they would lose federal highway funds. Oddly enough, if you join the military you can purchase alcohol and drink in bars with your military ID even before you're 21.

Answer 4

MADD believes that the concepts nonetheless develops at age 20 and that's a ingredient of thier marketing campaign. ingesting and using are a significant venture even at age 21 the circumstances are extreme. The national street site visitors risk-free practices administration reported in a record Wednesday that 39 % of all site visitors deaths interior the united states final year in touch alcohol. a entire of sixteen,885 human beings died in alcohol-suitable crashes in 2005, including pedestrians and cyclists, down only 0.2 % from sixteen,919 in 2004.

Answer 5

Many years ago after I graduated from high school a friend of mine joined the Army. She could drink if she showed her military ID when we went out. Because military could drink at 18. But the law might have changed.

Answer 6

When I was that young the states were changing the drinking age everyday. On base I was old enough to buy beer at the age of 18 and drink at the NCO-Enlisted Club (Beer). Some states I was old enough to buy baby beer (low alcohol). So if you are in the military you should be allowed to drink at least beer on base.

Answer 7

I understand your point. I have been there.
But, being old enough to drink is based upon whether you are mature enough to understand what is good for you and what isn't. You are not old enough to enter into a contract either and an adult who has sex with you is contributing to the delinquency of a minor at best and maybe statutory rape.
You are not old enough to join the military and shoot at people. You must have your parents consent, in other words it is up to them whether you get to shoot at people or not. So, you are NOT old enough to know whether that is good for you as well. They need young soldiers who DO NOT understand what that means. A long time ago, I was in the Marine Corps. A bunch of men from my unit was sent to FL to prepare to invade Cuba. I went to my First Sargent and told him that I want to go so I could kill Cubans for President Kennedy. Top (slang for Top Sargent) was a WWII veteran and he quickly told me that I didn't want to go. We argued, I lost. Years later, I realized that old man was right. I didn't want to go kill Cubans or anyone else.

Answer 8

It's called the double standard, they will give you a job that will make you need a drink to calm down, but deprive you of the right to drink it. Well, Bush was too young to drink, and didn't serve in combat, but drank anyway. It used to be acceptable to allow soldiers to drink no matter their age, and maybe since your not serving in the United States while in combat mode, you don't have to adhere to the age requirement. If it was up to me, I would change the age of allowing soldiers to enter active duty, so that they match the drinking age. At least that way it would make sense.

Answer 9

If you were related to George W Bush, you could drink anytime, anywhere, just as his alcoholic, fake id, daughters do. There isn't much unity in the so called, United States, only a bunch of double standards, and communist type regulations.

Answer 10

If you join the military, then you can drink at 18...even younger in some sountries. But still not as US public bars.