Colo. Senate Hopeful: Lower Drinking Age (Brewery Magnate Peter Coors (R))

[Khephra]

Republican Senate candidate and brewery magnate Peter Coors has reiterated his support for lowering the drinking age to 18, saying that young people drink anyway and the government has made them criminals.

During a debate with primary opponent Bob Schaffer on Wednesday, Coors didn't back down from remarks he made several years ago in support of lowering the drinking age from 21. Coors said it could help teenagers learn to drink responsibly.

He also criticized government efforts to force states to raise the legal age. ``I don't think that's a proper use of the executive branch,'' he said.

more........

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Coors-Drinking-Age.html

[Sporadicus]

1. And Yet Pete Coors Thinks That Lowering the Drinking Age

is a proper use of the legislative branch. This stinks of conflict of interest if anything does.

[The Screaming Icon]

2. Remember Louisiana?

We only raised our age to 21 in about 1995-96, and only then after a couple of false starts. The only reason then-Gov. Mike Foster did it was to counter the potential loss of federal highway funds.

I don't see this changing anytime soon, and Pete Coors' colors are indeed showing. That said, I think we should have some consistency in the ages for fighting in wars and drinking.

[Sporadicus]

4. Good Point

I heard that stated quite often when I enlisted in the Navy at age 18, and I think it's a valid point. Besides, some people will have problems with alcohol at ANY age.

[T Town Jake]

5. Agreed...

...I've always believed the drinking age should be the same as the age at which a person could be drafted into the military.

[dusty64]

16. I do agree with this.

If your'e old enought to be drafted ......., especially with this looking more and more likely. This IS a conflict of interest on coor's behalf however as mentioned in the previous post.

[Sandpiper]

3. Despite his obvious economic interest

I agree with his position about the drinking age.

18 is old enough to: Vote, Die for your country, Sign a Contract, Get Married, but...

Too young to have a beer? :crazy:

[robcon]

6. I don't know what the right number is...

but the states (or possibly counties or municipalities), not the federal government, should decide on the legal age for drinking.

This has been a perversion of the constitutional rights of the states. It is based on blackmailing the states to adopt the drinking age that the federal government desires. It is scandalous.

[sleipnir]

7. Make it 18, Decriminalize, Educate

The younger we get adults adjusted to alcohol, the better chances we have to educate them in abuse and addiction. It's just a disaster right now, kids aren't going to stop drinking no matter what you tell them. Why not lower the age, let them learn first hand, and hey, break the taboo of social drinking in our society. It only leads to binge drinking. I've read that several doctors feel binge drinking is a deep rooted pysche issue that will stay with our most recent adults for years due to the "being caught" stigma that they were exposed to as youth.

There's been proof that a lower drinking age leads to less problems in the end. Fear is eradicated, people learn at an early age to make better decisions about alcohol, and there's no reason to jail adults (18-20) for engaging in activity that is accepted and trumpeted by our society.

[playahata1]

9. I have always wondered about this:

In Europe, children can drink alcohol, yet there are few or no problems related to alcohol consumption. Here in America, you have to be 21 to legally drink, but we have so many problems with alcohol. Could cultural differences have anything to do with this?

[sleipnir]

13. Yeah, that and public transport / taxis discourage drunk driving

Nearly every European country has some sort of late night mass transit, if not, there are certainly more cabs roaming the streets than one would find in a comparable American town.

In the end, it all comes down to as a kid, alcohol is a "bad" thing, which you must consume only on certain occasions and in large quantities to avoid being "caught." That behavior continues as the kids grow older, until they're now 34 and addicted to alcohol with no real hope in sight. That's the type of mindset that comes with criminalizing moderate adult drinking, something, as you say, Europe doesn't have to really worry about.

[daleo]

8. It is 18 here in Alberta, Canada

I don't see it being a big problem.

It does seem silly that people can join the military (potentially against their will) and kill people or be killed, but they can't have a beer.

It also seems silly that they can marry and start a family, but can't have a beer. In some states you can marry as young as 16, with parental consent.

It also seems silly that they can sign a contract to commit them to a lifelong debt (buy a house for example), but can't have a beer. Contracts are binding at 18 in most states.

Wasn't the fact that the age went back up to 21 a legacy of St. Ronnie?

[delete_bush]

10. I'd be afraid that if we lower the drinking age

we might become like France or Germany. Would you like to have a beer with your freedom fries young man?

MADD and the RW would never do anything so sensible. The U.S. has the highest drinking age of any country (based on one site I just googled).

France, Germany, Norway, Spain and others are age 16, Switzerland 14, with most countries at 18. Japan and Iceland are at age 20.

I agree that it should be up to the states. We make it so taboo here that of course kids are going to try it and overindulge.

[DaveSZ]

11. I agree with him

We have our people younger than 21 in Iraq right now.

That said, I still wouldn't vote for the wingnut.

[struggle4progress]

12. Well, then, raise the driving age to 21. eom

[hightime]

14. Is the drving age also 21 in those other countries?

[struggle4progress]

15. Some countries with lower drinking ages have higher driving ages.

I've seen my share of boozed kids behind the wheel in my lifetime, and it still gives me the shudders to remember some of it.

We can reduce drinking and driving by teens either by preventing drinking or by preventing driving.

If we believe teens will drink anyway, we might as well keep them from driving.

[lumpy]

17. No one should be drafted

until they are at least 21. Maybe kids should be legally allowed to drink beer at 18, but for pete's sake don't let it be Coors!

[truthspeaker]

18. I hate Pete Coors, but I gotta say I agree with that

[lumpy]

19. My God

That picture of Bush looks like a Dorian Grey.