Lawmaker Wants Lower Soldier Drinking Age

By JR ROSS, Associated Press Writer Tue May 31, 6:31 PM ET

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.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050531/ap_on_re_us/drinking_age_soldiers

Is it just me, or does this seem like a really sleazy way to get young kids to join up? Enlistment is at an all time low right now, and all of a sudden this guy says, "Let's let them start drinking earlier if they're in the military." I can see some poor fool of a teenager thinking this is a cool chance to go to bars at a younger age.

Thoughts?

:gun:

The Rev

I agree that its stupid for the gov. to think that someone is mature enough to enlist, kill and be killed at 18 but not old enough to drink for another 3 years but somehow I don't think this is the answer.

I don't know what the motivations behind this law are.

I don't really see it as an enlistment tactic, but I could be wrong.

I think people should be allowed to drink at 18, since they are allowed to vote and do most other things connoting "adulthood" at 18.

For the record, I did not drink at 18. And saying that someone should be allowed to drink at 18 is not at all the same as saying someone should drink at 18.

I agree with Joe.

I agree with Joe.

Me too. Where's the poll? :)

I made one. :p

I agree that its stupid for the gov. to think that someone is mature enough to enlist, kill and be killed at 18 but not old enough to drink for another 3 years but somehow I don't think this is the answer.

used to be that if you were 18, you could buy a beer on base.

Now, even military bases are subject to local drinking laws, so in most cases you still have to be 21.

Unless you get shipped overseas, then chances are the drinking age is 18 :) Except germany, where it's like 5. :p

Rev, I agree. It seems like an underhanded effort to increase enlistment. :moonpie:

Going with Joe on this one too!

Unless you get shipped overseas, then chances are the drinking age is 18

I was wondering about that; whether the US soldiers who train with the Aussie soldiers at the airforce base near here take advantage of the lower drinking age.

I don't know what the motivations behind this law are.

I don't really see it as an enlistment tactic, but I could be wrong.

I think people should be allowed to drink at 18, since they are allowed to vote and do most other things connoting "adulthood" at 18.

For the record, I did not drink at 18. And saying that someone should be allowed to drink at 18 is not at all the same as saying someone should drink at 18.

Not that's logic, if I could just follow it. BTW, I voted yes. Some of the time he almost makes too much sense.

I dont see how the drinking age changes anything.

Here our drinking age got lowered from 20 to 18 a couple of years ago.. and now they're all "Hrmm maybe we should put it back up" but yeah it wont change anything. Anyone can get alcohol easily no matter what their age is.

Definitely stupid that people can go to war and legally kill others but they can't top it off with a beer. This was the same way the voting age limit got lowered to 18, although for that it was universal rather than just for soldiers.

IT does sounds sorta like an enlistment ploy to me. The army is pretty desperate right now. I know many bars that will in fact serve anyway to soldiers going to war anyway, even though it isn't legal. In military towns, thats just the way it is (I grew up in one.)

It's stupid. Lower the drinking age to 18 anyway is what i say. Not just for people who are employed by the military.

I'm used to living in a country with a drinking age of 18, and it seems ridiculous that a country in the western world has an age limit of 21. After all, it's just alcohol. N'owt special about it.

It's stupid. Lower the drinking age to 18 anyway is what i say. Not just for people who are employed by the military.

I'm used to living in a country with a drinking age of 18, and it seems ridiculous that a country in the western world has an age limit of 21. After all, it's just alcohol. N'owt special about it.

Try telling that to some of the lawmakers here in the States who have instituted "Blue Laws" to keep people from being able to buy alcohol on Sunday (or before a certain time on Sunday). Or those who have entire counties that are "dry" as in no alcohol at all can be sold there.

For some reason some Americans have very puritanical views about alcohol.

My apartment has a rule that no one under 14 can swim in the pool unless they are being supervised by someone over 21. So, because I am 19, I can't watch my neighbor’s 5-year-old daughter in the pool.

I wonder if the rule would be the same if I were a 19-year-old mother. Could I not watch my own child in the pool?

How about we pick one age for adulthood?

My apartment has a rule that no one under 14 can swim in the pool unless they are being supervised by someone over 21. So, because I am 19, I can't watch my neighbor’s 5-year-old daughter in the pool.

I wonder if the rule would be the same if I were a 19-year-old mother. Could I not watch my own child in the pool?

How about we pick one age for adulthood?

That is pretty messed up. I know quite a few women that had children younger than 21 ... They'd be unable to supervise their own children ... crazy.

I agree with you. We should pick one age. And that should be it. Not one age for this, another age for that and yet another age for something else.

My first wedding was like that. At 19 I was old enough to get married but I wasn't old enough to have a glass of champagne. :doh:

How about we pick one age for adulthood?

I nominate 23.

IT does sounds sorta like an enlistment ploy to me. The army is pretty desperate right now. I know many bars that will in fact serve anyway to soldiers going to war anyway, even though it isn't legal. In military towns, thats just the way it is (I grew up in one.)


Actually, this argument comes up every few years. The drinking age of 21 with an enlistment age of 18 has been considered a major inconsistency for some time.

I also thought the drinking age on military installations was 18?

mt great gradnfather told my grandfather: work a man's day; drink a man's drink. my grandfather started drinking alcohol (beer) at age 12, when he was working on his father's farm full time.

personally, i don't have any problem with it. Young man or woman goes to war. They're doing a nasty job that i wouldn't give to anyone--and they volunteered for it. if alcohol helps, more power to em. we can deal with that as much as PTSD when they get home.

Well if it's an enlistment ploy, I think i'd rather be sober. That or do what most underaged kids do and did when I was underaged. Get someone to buy for you. Obtaining alcohol was never problem. Especially since the legal age here in Ontario is 19. And at the time, our highschools had a Grade 13. So there were always students of age who would do alcohol runs. So ya, I doubt it's much of an enlistment ploy. If so, it's a poor one.

But put me on the list of people who think it's dumb that you can be old enough to give your life for your country, but you can't drink. And if they are considering lowering the legal age, I don't see any reason why it should be exclusive to soldiers.

Try telling that to some of the lawmakers here in the States who have instituted "Blue Laws" to keep people from being able to buy alcohol on Sunday (or before a certain time on Sunday). Or those who have entire counties that are "dry" as in no alcohol at all can be sold there.

For some reason some Americans have very puritanical views about alcohol.

ya, i'd hate to live in the states. Besides, i hear that the beer in the states isn't as good as it is in england. We have loads of breweries, which some people run from their garages producing ale for their local pub. And british pubs outnumber doctors surgeries, churches, you name it!

It seems weird that some counties are dry. Hell, if they tried to make lancashire a dry county, I know that there would be riots in Preston city centre!

Besides, i hear that the beer in the states isn't as good as it is in england. We have loads of breweries, which some people run from their garages producing ale for their local pub.

There's lots of crappy beer, but there's some good beer too. Brewery-slash-restaurants are becoming quite the thing (at least here in california) and some of them have some *really* good beer, all brewed right there on the premesis.

I also thought the drinking age on military installations was 18?

I did too, Tame. But I did a bit of searching around, and apparently the DoD changed that in the mid-90s. It used to be that you could drink on base if you were 18+. But sometime about 10 years ago, they changed it so that local laws dictate the drinking age on base as well. In most states, that's 21.

There's lots of crappy beer, but there's some good beer too. Brewery-slash-restaurants are becoming quite the thing (at least here in california) and some of them have some *really* good beer, all brewed right there on the premesis.

:yes:

the major beers totally suck ass (bud, mgd, coors light, etc). Think Stella Artois with a bland, metallic taste.

But in the past 15 years or so, there's been a 'microbrew revolution' with boutique breweries popping up all over the place. Craft brewing is now a major industry in the US (within the alcohol sector, anyway) and has even forced some of the major companies to diversify into more specialised brews. Michelob has done a reasonable job at this. It all depends on where you are, but the pacific northwest was a birthplace of said revolution, and you can find some of the most incredible beers there. Actually, the entire western part of the US as well as the NE has done pretty well with that. mmm, Gordon Biersch Märzen...