New Hampshire's Virtual Town Hall
The NH state drinking age should be lowered to 18, at least for Military personnel
In my humble opinion, I believe NH should lower the state drinking age to 18, at least for military personnel. The men and women in the military, many of whom are between the ages of 18 and 20, have made a conscious decision to risk their lives in support of protecting the liberties of Americans. They are adults and should be treated as such. How is it fair to let someone die for their country but not let them have a beer back home?
This year will prove to be the highest ever in deployments of NH National Guardsmen. By the end of the year over 1,100 soldiers will deploy. Previously, the highest number of NH guardsmen to deploy wasn’t even half of that, 506 during 1968 to be exact. Many of those guardsmen aren’t old enough to drink, but they are clearly old enough to carry a rifle in support of a nation that treats them like children. These men and women should be allowed the privilege of making their own decision regarding alcohol consumption.
If the drinking age was changed to 18 for all citizens then we would see a reduction in the binge drinking rates of citizens in their early 20s. The statistics are clear that college students in the freshman and sophomore academic classes binge drink significantly more than their junior and senior counterparts. If we exposed citizens to alcohol at an earlier age, then young college students wouldn’t be released into a world of irresponsible drinking once they reach campus.
If NH is worried about the loss of federal highway funds, then they can easily acquire financing by placing an excise tax on alcohol. The lowering of the drinking age would also add a large amount of younger tourists visiting the state. The financial options are there; after all, look at our creative way of funding public education.
The bottom line is this; if a “kid” is old enough to die for their country then they are sure as hell old enough to make their own decision regarding alcohol. They can weigh the costs and benefits but ultimately, it should be there choice. They chose to answer a call that many people ignore, and sometimes they pay the ultimate price, but denying them the privilege of having a beer is simply disrespecting their sacrifice.
Views: 60
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Nicholas McLellan on -
NH State Representative James Splaine had it right when he said “It seems hypocritical that we expect people to be able to make life or death decisions in Iraq, but in New Hampshire they don’t have the right or privilege to be able to drink.”
-
-
Permalink Reply by Sherri Lynn on -
With much respect, I whole-heartedly disagree with lowering the legal drinking age to 18. Not all 'kids' choose to join the military, and not all kids choose to drink. And there is a very big difference in joining the military and dying for the freedoms and liberties of your fellow U.S. citizens, and dying in a drunk driving accident. What happens at war when volunteer men and women join the armed forces is in God's hands. But they join to fight for our country, which is an entirely selfless act. Indulging in alcohol at any age is a selfish one. Even if you're just going out to have a good time - it's still for YOUR enjoyment and it benefits no one else. And as far as what is fair for those under the age of 21 who are in the U.S. military? I suggest granting them things that would make a great difference in their life, like a free education, health benefits for life, things that would ENHANCE their lives and make it better and easier. What kind of gratitude are we showing them if the thanks they get for risking their lives for us is a lousy beer? Something that might not only ruin their futures, but actually turn into serious enough of an issue to kill them. And what kind of honorable way to die is that? In a bottle...
In addition, as far as what you mentioned about freshmen and sophomores in college binge drinking far more than juniors and seniors? Did you ever think it was because maybe those juniors and seniors have already hit the wall? They outgrew it? They learned their lesson, maybe because they lost classmates in drunk driving accidents or other incidences relating to alcohol abuse? And why in God's name would you want your teenager exposed to alcohol at a younger age??? *simply to hit the wall harder and faster because they ARE younger, and they ARE immature and they DONT know when to stop* It's like handing a five year old a pair of scissors and telling them to run. ADULTS, GROWN PEOPLE can't handle their booze sometimes and you want to hand the chance of developing as serious a disease as alcoholism to an 18 year old? And what? Just HOPE they grow out of it. Seniors in this country haven't grown out of it and millions have died from it. I'm sorry but it'd be a cold day in you-know-where before I take that gamble on my child's life... Our future rests in the hands of our kids and teens and I for one, don't want my future in this country being shoved aside for a Bud Lite. One last thing. Beer & alcohol is not privilege. Scholarships are a privilege, top of the line job offers are a privilege, life-long health care is a privilege. If you believe alcohol to be in the same category as those, I guess there really isn't much else to say. -
-
Permalink Reply by Sherri Lynn on
-
PS: In addition to my statements above about college kids drinking and the possible reasoning behind more underclassmen binge drinking more frequently than juniors and seniors....
Your words: "The statistics are clear that college students in the freshman and sophomore academic classes binge drink significantly more than their junior and senior counterparts. If we exposed citizens to alcohol at an earlier age, then young college students wouldn’t be released into a world of irresponsible drinking once they reach campus."
If we as a nation or state allow our young citizens to be exposed to alcohol at an earlier age, such as high school or before they reach college campus... The chance of these kids graduating highschool would be a miracle, MUCH LESS being focused enough on striving for grades that meet college requirements. -
-
Permalink Reply by Michelle Teresa on
-
As a highschool student, I've noticed that the thrill of drinking alochol not only comes from its intoxicating effects but also the excitement of doing something illegal or "rebellious". Most parents of teenagers are unaware (or at least pretend to be) of their kid's alochol consumption. While many parents give the whole "don't drink" speech...which their teenagers choose to ignore anyway. Lowering the drinking age would allow parents (or prompt many) to talk to their kids (many of whom would be drinking regardless of the drinking age) about the RESPONSIBLITY of drinking alochol, a far more effective talk, in my opinion.
However, I don't believe that using the military age to justifiy lowering the drinking age makes much sense...they're two totally different issues (although I can understand how there may seem to be a condrdiction...I don't think it's enough to fully support the cause of lowering the drinking age) -
-
Permalink Reply by Alex Campbell on -
I agree with the sentiments expressed by Mr. McLellan, and would also like to see the drinking age lowered, but I would also point out some other considerations involved in this debate. If we look to other countries across the Atlantic, we see that the vast majority of Eurpoean states have drinking ages that are lower than we have here. Some countries even have them as low as 16 years old. I don't have any statistics to say how this has affected the number of deaths involving alcohol that these countries face every year, but I think that some statistical work should be done to see whether or not a lower drinking age would negatively affect the population. Obviously there would most likely be a rough transition here if the age were lowered, but I would guess that we would see the maturity level of our young adults eventually rise in regards to the responsible use of alcohol. Another thing to consider is how a lower drinking age would affect traffic coming into the state by those under 21 who would be able to purchase and consume legally in NH. Whether or not this would be beneficial is up to debate, but there can be no doubt that we would see large numbers of teens flooding across the border to purchase alcohol. Just a few things to think about...
-
-
Permalink Reply by Sherri Lynn on
-
Although it might be interesting to see how lowering the drinking age might affect the population, I'm not sure that changing the law and then sitting back to observe would be the safest way to go about it. Not that it's what you're suggesting... I'm just saying I'm sure there's another way to figure that one out. Alex: I'm glad that you brought up the comparitive between the US and European countries, because they are VAST. Teens and young adults in Europe are not the same as teens and young adults in the US. It's a completely different way of life out there. Example, in Spain kids, teens, and young adults go to school for at least 10 hours a day. Teens and young adults work at least one part time job. I know this because I've hosted a group of exchange students a few years back and they told me about the way they live day to day. There aren't enough hours in their days to kick back and have a cold one, as there are here for the age group of 17-22. I don't know many people in that age bracket that go to school for 10 hours, work at least one part time job and still have the energy to go out and get liquored up. But, it scares me to think of how many young people in our society would pass up getting an education and getting a job to ensure a prosperous future, just so they could start drinking and partying early. Leave the drinking age at 21. Focus on creating a strong, solid foundation ontop of which you can begin to build your life. If you still want a beer at twenty one, I'll be there for your birthday party. Just out of curiosity, I'd like to know the ages of those members who have commented on and supported lowering the drinking age. My guess is most of them are either still in highschool or in college and under twenty one. It's not all it's cracked up to be, I promise!
-
-
Permalink Reply by Jennifer Morrell on
-
I agree, it's crazy. At 18 you can get married, raise kids, fight a war, do anything. Vote. But you can't have a beer after. It's insane. Too inconsistent to make any sense.
-
Follow us:
Presidential Election Navigator
Videos
Photos
Badge
© 2012 Created by LFDA Editor.
