On Saturday, it was reported that state excise police had arrested more than 80 people for underage drinking at a party off the IU campus.
This is indeed shocking news. College students drink? Who would have thought?
This bust, of course, will go along way to stopping 18-20 year olds from drinking. Sorry, more sarcasm. I can't help myself this morning.
Actually I agree those selling alcohol at the party without a license should have been busted for that violation. But punishing adults for consuming an adult beverage does not make sense. It actually makes the problem of binge drinking worse. We ought to be teaching people responsible consumption of alcohol, not pretending that alcohol prohibition will work.
As a side note, I would bet anything that the judge hearing the cases, the prosecutor bringing the action and the excise cops who were involved in the bust, all attended and drank at similiar parties when they were college students.
6 comments:
I hope they weren't smoking too.
Would make more sense to reduce drinking age to 18 and raise driving age to 18. It's an old mantra, but if a young man or woman of 18 years can go to war, they should be able to have a beer.
Far too many young people are killed driving at 16 and 17, and of course insurance rates are way high, raise the driving age.
Let 18 be the move to total adulthood.
Briefs, I agree with you 100% on everything you said. 16 year old driving age is nuts.
I've always thought we should de-mystify and remove the 'taboo' of underage drinking. Face it, the reason the binging and abuse goes on is because it's a forbidden thing. Nothing draws teens to something faster than saying they can't have it. Am I the only one who remembers that?
If a parent was OK giving their kid a beer now and then, say at 16 or 17 (or whatever THEY felt was right) and a drink was no big deal to them, then I am positive the kid would not grow up to get blotto at every frat party that came along. At least most of them wouldn't.
Police state America. The cops are destroying all memory of our freedom and are inculcating a culture of servility in the youth.
This circumstance does not resolve itself well in 20 years.
Unfortunately, the drinking age can't be changed at the state or local level without risking millions of dollars to maintain federally funded highways. Since transportation isn't a right, it was ruled that the feds can stipulate strings attached to funding to promote behaviors. You can read about that case here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dakota_v._Dole
Wikipedia notes that several states have skirted around the issue by allowing underage consumption in private settings, such as your own home.
I know Sunday sales hasn't really mobilized the Christian right in Indiana, but I'm afraid a national lowering of the drinking age would.
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