Lawmaker wants lower soldier drinking age

from seattle post

By JR ROSS
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

MADISON, Wis. -- One Wisconsin lawmaker figures if the U.S. military trusts 19-year-olds with a $10 million tank, then the state should trust them with a beer.

State Rep. Mark Pettis, a Republican who served in the Navy, is pushing a bill that would drop the drinking age to 19 for Wisconsin soldiers - but only if the federal government agrees it will not yank an estimated $50 million a year in highway aid.

A federal law ties federal highway dollars to compliance by the states with the required drinking age of 21.

"We're treating these young men and women as adults when they're at war. But we treat them like teenagers when they're here in the states," he said.

Pettis admits his proposal will be a tough sell unless Wisconsin gets the federal government's approval - or at least permission to start a pilot program to prove it will not cause more accidents or other problems opponents associate with a younger drinking age.

Wisconsin transportation officials say the federal government has told them there is no process to apply for a waiver from the drinking age requirement, and creating one would likely take an act of Congress.

The bill would create an exemption for 19- and 20-year-old soldiers from Wisconsin - but not for soldiers from out of state. A valid military ID along with a Wisconsin driver's license or identification card would be required.

A committee is expected to send the bill to the full Assembly for consideration next week, and Gov. Jim Doyle has said he supports it - as long as Wisconsin does not lose any federal highway money.

The Wisconsin chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving has lobbied against the bill. Its executive director, Kari Kinnard, said statistics show there have been fewer highway fatalities, injuries and other problems associated with alcohol since the mandatory minimum went into effect in the 1980s.

She also said research shows the brain has not fully developed until people reach age 21. "It's for their own protection," Kinnard said.

Quote:

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She also said research shows the brain has not fully developed until people reach age 21. "It's for their own protection," Kinnard said.

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Aaaarrgh!

OK, I was a kid in the 70's, I know why Madd was formed. I watched as a cop pulled over my drunk step dad and uttered these words, "Sir, you look pretty drunk. I am going to have to ask you to pour out that beer and drive straight home." Madd helped get that attitude off the streets. But, and there is always a but.

But, encouraging federal blackmail to get states to pass lawws to treat adults like children is ass. Brains not fully developed? Then why do we let them join the army? Why do we prosecute them as adults? Why do we put them out on the streets to find thier own way? We aren't supposed to protect adults anymore.

Either you are an adult at 18 or a child. Any law that brings us even marginally closer is a good one in my opinion. Mark Pettis has a hard sell, but here is to him :beermug:

Most soldiers don't have too much of a hard time drinking at that age though...but it is a stupid mentality anyhow given that a majority of people start drinking WELL before 21...it should be 19 though (this way you're at least not in High School). Given how many rights you have at 18 though...hell may as well make drinking go a long with it since you are LEGALLY an adult at that age anyhow. You can smoke all you want but youcan't drink? How does that even make sense?

I remember one soldier saying "I can die for my country but I can't drink in it"...kinda sad that's true.

great get all the teenagers "allowed" to have a gun drunk haha...thatd be good

well at least drug dealers don't require id..

lol

I like that :they trust them with a 10 million dollar tank, but not enough to let them get tanked.

I don't think they should be allowed to drink. I think they should be allowed to smoke weed. get everyone stoned and they'll all start talking about how they've never noticed how interesting camo is before. have a plane fly by and drop off some dorittos and the war will be over.

morning glory...thats a fine idea!
Ive always said that if everyone smoked weed the world would be a much happier place..

Wisconsin... typical.

I think the drinking age should be 15 and the driving age 18. That seems more civilized in my opinion.

(MADD is fucking lame. Teetotaler cunts want to strip this great land of booze... shamefull)

hahaha... that's a much better idea Toe Cutter...

folks should also work before they're allowed into college... at like age 22, so they get all the stupidness outta their systems first... (or maybe that was just me...)

...anyway speaking as a 'teetotaller' who thinks even hard drugs should be legal...

actually this sounds like another dumbass idea to up recruitment... mark my words, the draft'll be coming ...and just like a ********* it'll want 'em young... mark my words...

be seeing you

Id say, if they are in the warzone, it should be ok for them to have a beer or ten, I do know several who didnt make it home, and they werent 21 yet. a lot of them wont make it home, give them some freedom not regularly given since they are over there and have that chance they may never get to experience otherwise. as for marijuana, Drop burning bales of pot all over Iraq, and smoke em out

oh dear, i didn't realize that there was a word that'd get zotted out...

...makes sense though... sorry...

...as far as the ganj goes... i'm one of the few people that it actually makes violent... dangerously paranoid at best... ah well... that's what'll happen to ya if your lips move while you read the necronomicon


be seeing you