...The legal drinking age should be lowered to 18 and young adults should be allowed to drink in controlled environments such as restaurants, bars and pubs because; outlawing alcohol consumption in colleges for those under 21 is making the problem worse, At the age of 18 the law see’s kids as fully mature, drinking would take place in public and could therefore be supervised by police or security guards. Although the legal age is 21 years of age, a majority of college students under this age consume alcohol but in an irresponsible manner. This is because drinking by these youth is seen as an enticing "forbidden fruit," a "badge of rebellion against authority" and a symbol of "adulthood." As a nation we have tried prohibition legislation twice...
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...I have always wondered about innate knowledge. It is well known that babies are born with the instincts to suck to be fed, to grasp tightly to hold their own weight, etc. But it is also known that infants are born with nearly a blank slate, having to learn everything from there on out. So what is the self? What is personal identity? Well it seems to me that it is a combination of human nature, biological factors and knowledge of experiences. I sit here and wonder what my life would be like if I were born and raised half way across the country somewhere isolated from city life. Would I still me my “self”?. This whole concept is so fascinating and mind-boggling to me. When having a conversation about religion with a person, I find it interesting as to why they might feel that their deity is for sure the only one. They usually respond something like, “Well God found me and this is the life I live…” Then I ask them, would the God you have now still find you if you were brought up in an entirely Islam community? I Just like to give them something deeper to reflect on, I suppose. When we read about the stories and myths about children being raised by animals, I try to imagine how this might ever be true. We hear about how they may walk on all fours, ruff like a canine and so forth. They are still of human genetics, yes, but wouldn’t they consider their identity as a canine as well? Or would they even have these humanistic thoughts to question their identity, since they have not been...
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...Opponent: Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Lozi Ms. Rhodes Comp 2 November 11, 2011 Opponent: Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Introduction At the present time, the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) Law is set at the age of 21 years old. Proponents would have the law revoked and the Minimum Legal Drinking Age reduced. This paper intends to prove that the MLDA should remain as it stands. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 protects our youth and society as a whole. Evaluation of the Present MLDA: Success Drinking and Driving The present MLDA laws set at 21 are effective. “Almost every state has seen a decrease in teenage driving fatalities since the law went into effect” (Hamilton, 2008, para 3). Before the law took effect, many American youths died in car accidents that could have been avoided if this law had been in effect at the time. “Over the past 20 years, the number of 15 to 20 year olds killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes has been cut in half. The number of 15 to 20 year old drinking drivers involved in fatal crashes also has been cut in half” (Hamilton, 2008, para 15). One cannot argue with statistics. Maturity Factor Most teens would argue that we, as adults, really don’t know anything that they don’t already know. The youth of America have a sense of entitlement, and for the most part, we have created a spoiled generation. “Many youth experiment with unlawful drinking-often to disastrous effects” (National Household Survey On...
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...Edwin Muniz English 1010 Lowering the Legal Drinking Age There are many controversial topics in today’s news involving the younger generation. One of the most talked about topics is lowering the legal drinking age in the United States. Lowering the drinking age could have a really good impact on society as a whole. Although there are people that believe that lowering the age limit will have a really bad effect on the US, the good outweigh the bad. The drinking age being at 21, makes those underage look at alcohol sort of like the “forbidden fruit,” making them want to drink even more, sort of as a rite of passage. Lowering the drinking age to 18 seems almost undeniable considering that in the US, 18 is considered the age of adulthood. In the United States, turning 18 gives you the right to vote in elections, smoke tobacco, serve on juries, get married, sign legal contracts, be prosecuted as adults, and even join the military. Just imagine being 18 in the military, watching everyone 21 and older having a cold beer while you’re sitting there drinking water because you’re not old enough to drink alcohol. Not only are you risking your life being in the military like the others, you are also able to do everything the older members are able to do but, you absolutely cannot have an alcoholic beverage. In 1984 the U.S. Government raised the legal drinking age to 21 in an effort to decrease instances of drunk driving and related injuries and fatalities. However, this attempt...
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...Lower the Legal Drinking Age BCOM/275 Lower the Legal Drinking Age Drinking has become a rite of passage. Many young people count the days to their 21st birthday because they finally can drink legally. This journey into adulthood causes confusion considering other milestones are reached at 18. Upon reaching maturity, young people can vote, serve in the military, and marry without consent. If an 18-year-old can make such significant, life-changing decisions, he or she should have the right lawfully to consume alcohol. In 1984, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which necessitated that states increase the public possession and buying age of alcohol to 21 or federal funding for highways was reduced. Each state complied to receive its annual allotment. Prior to 1984, the legal drinking age varied for each state. According to the article, “The Top Five Reasons We Should Keep The Drinking Age At 21,” our lives and futures of our children rely on continued support of not lowering the national drinking age. There are valid arguments throughout the article and after researching the data online most of the information is accurate. However, the author did not list any references, which makes the article lose credibility. There are no logical fallacies but without citations, the piece seems like one person’s opinion and not a reliable source. The futures of our children depend on parents and their ability to teach their children to...
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...Lower the Legal Drinking Age to 18 Danielle Gonzales The government can trust those between the age of 18 and 20 to do many things, but they cannot treat them like full adults and allow them to drink alcohol. You will find that many Colleges and Universities disagree with the legal drinking age. In fact, they believe that rising the drinking age has increased the amount of ‘binge’ drinkers and only made our countries drinking problems worse. Eighty-five percent of twenty year old Americans reported that they had used alcohol. (Johnson) Two out of five said they had binged within the previous month. To ‘binge,’ is to consume five or more drinks at one time. (Engs) “The period since the twenty-one minimum drinking age took affect has been marked by a shift from beer to hard liquor,” Seaman wrote in Time “consumed not in large social settings, since that is now illegal, but furtively and dangerously in students residences. In my reporting at colleges around the country, I did not meet any presidents or deans who felt the twenty-one year age minimum helps their efforts to curb the abuse of alcohol on their campuses.” (Balk) A kid is going to drink if he or she wants to regardless whether the law says eighteen or twenty-one. In an alcohol related situation you are more likely going to hear “I don’t drink, thank you,” than “I better not, I’m not 21 yet.” When colleges and University presidents disagree with the drinking age, something has got to be done. If the drinking age were...
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...Essay 2 Rough Draft Writing 123 Enthymeme: The minimum legal drinking age in the United States should not be lowered from 21 to 18 because the legal drinking age is in place to protect young people at a time when irresponsible behavior is prevalent. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age Debate Since 2008, 136 college chancellors and presidents have signed the Amethyst Initiative, asking that the United States reconsider the minimum legal drinking age-21 (MLDA-21) laws that have been in place in all 50 states since 1984. The Amethyst Initiative argues that the MLDA-21 laws simply do not work, create a culture of binge-drinking, and that a policy of legalization and education would be more effective in protecting the safety of American adolescents. Elisabeth Muhlenfeld, the president of Sweet Briar College in Virginia and Amethyst Initiative signatory writes that 70 percent of the student population is underage. Teaching abstinence to students that blatantly ignore the MLDA-21 laws, or urging responsible behavior while drinking underage and breaking the law, are both hypocritical positions for the college administration to be in (Muhlenfeld 2). The Amethyst Initiative position is that current MLDA-21 laws have created a culture of heavy alcohol use by making drinking clandestine and extreme (Saylor 1). The statistics seem to back up this claim. Recent survey's of the 18-20 year old population by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show that a full 72 percent report...
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...The Legal Drinking Age in the United States The legal drinking age in the United States has been an ongoing issue for many years. Some believe it should be lowered to eighteen, as it was prior to The National Minimum Drinking Age Act that was passed on July 17th, 1984, and some believe it should stay at twentyone. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act made it impossible or persons under the age of twentyone to purchase alcohol. This Act did not ban those under the age to consume alcohol. There were only seven states, along with Washington D.C.; that put a complete ban on alcohol to be bought or consumed under twentyone. Those other six states are Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. As the consumption laws vary from state to state, some allow the consumption of alcohol under the supervision and consent of parents and others do not. Some states do not even have a law of consumption at all, which proves a small portion of my point. The legal drinking age in the United States should be lowered from twentyone to eighteen because at this age one is considered an adult, there would be a lower risk of underage drinking and if one can serve in the military then they shall be able to The first point is the fact that in the United States, one is considered a legal adult. Therefore, the purchasing of lottery tickets, scratch tickets and tobacco products is now legal. Tobacco products cause heart disease,...
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...The Legal Drinking Age Snjezana Radic English November 08 , 2012 The Legal Drinking Age At the age of 18 we are considered adults, with the rights and responsibilities of make our own decisions in life. Turning 18 we receive the rights and responsibilities of adulthood to vote, smoke cigarettes, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, be prosecuted as adults in court, and join the military (Markoff, 2012). Being considered as adults at this age and mature enough to make decisions like jury duty, we still aren’t considered old enough to consume alcohol. We get the right to drive a car at the age of 15 with someone 21 years of age. While at 16 we can get a driver’s license legally, and drive without supervision of an adult. The law of the legal drinking age was changed on Dec. 22, 1978 (Markoff, 2012). People believed that changing the law would stop 18- 20 year old from drinking, and reduce highway crashes. In my opinion the law don’t stop the 18 year olds from drinking, and the highway crashes haven’t stopped. The drinking has went underground, or behind closed doors. This makes it more dangerous for college students because they can’t have any drinks out in the open at a bar, or at family event like New Year ’s Eve. Also, the age of 21 don’t stop the DUI’s or the problem of too much drinking. Some may belive that the legal drinking age should...
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...the drinking age should be lowered to the age of eighteen. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age has changed from each state setting their own to the government passing the National Drinking Age Act of 1984 making the drinking age twenty-one. The drinking age should be lowered because eighteen is the age of maturity, helps for better control, and helps stop binge drinking and sneaking around. The drinking age should stay at twenty-one because it is medically irresponsible and helps prevent addiction. The bible neither condones nor encourages the usage of alcohol but does warn and gives rules about it. The drinking age should be lowered because it benefits the teaching and control of alcohol. The Drinking Age Should Be Lowered to...
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...28th Amendment Proposal: Legal Drinking Age 1) This Bill would lower the drinking age to be the same age citizens can vote, join the army, and purchase cigarettes: eighteen years of age. 2) When a Citizen turns eighteen they are legally an adult, therefor have the right to make their own decisions, this should include the decision to by alcohol or not. Also with a lower dinking age more people would legally be able to drink in legal revenue would increase for private business owners, and greater amounts of tax revenue would be collected by the government. 3) The opposition would be that it is irresponsible to lower the drinking age due to the medical, legal and safety repercussions such as: “Lowering the drinking age would be medically irresponsible as alcohol consumption can interfere with development of the young adult...
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...Should the Legal Drinking Age be Lowered? The legal drinking age should remain 21. The United States minimum legal drinking age of 21 years old is set at the highest in the world. People consume alcohol for many different reasons; celebrations, anxiety, depression, peer pressure and boredom. This group of people includes teenagers. It is very easy for teens to get ahold of alcohol whether it be from the cabinets in their own homes or from older friends and family members, who would buy it for them. Teenage drinking has become one of the largest social issues today. More than 25,000 lives have been saved because of the MLDA (minimum legal drinking age). When states had lowered drinking ages in the past, the underage drinking problem was worse than ever before in the US. To have a better understanding on the controversy around the legal drinking age, some background information may be helpful. Kids are now experimenting with alcohol at early ages than they have ever before. Teens who are drinking can be affected in many different ways. Alcohol has been linked to a wide range of illnesses such as cancer, high blood pressure and liver disease. Some studies and surveys have shown that between the ages of 12-21, young adults have consumed alcohol at least once. Every year there are about 5,000 deaths in young people as a result in underage drinking. However with the ratings and percentages of teens drinking there are some ways to educate and possibly prevent the negative...
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...To think of the legal age for drinking and joining our army has been a controversial issue of which many prefer not to argue about. Currently the law sates that a person who is at least 18 years old can join the army and serve his/her country at war. The law considers a young adult of 18 years of age responsible enough to make a decision which may cost him/her their life. Yet, the law prohibits an 18 year old person to make the decision of drinking alcoholic drinks. If we believe that a person cannot be responsible enough to make a decision such as drinking because we think it may ruin his/her life, then why do we let them take the decision of joining the army which in many cases leads them to their death. It is true that drinking alcoholic drinks may end up destroying the life of a young adult only if the drinks are used irresponsibly. The age restrictions on drinking should not be modified, but the age requirement for joining the army should be raised to 21 as the alcoholic one. Joining the army of any country is an important decision but joining the American army is not a decision you can take so easily. Such decision at that early age puts the young adult’s life experience at risk. It is completely ignorant for us Americans to think that an 18 year old person has the maturity to make decisions such as joining the army. An 18 year old person is someone who has barely graduated from high school, may be starting his/her first college semester, or may be applying for their first...
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...changed the laws regarding drinking and driving throughout the United States. MADD changed the legal age for drinking and purchasing alcohol. MADD has made the laws stricter; including more fines and punishment for breaking the laws. MADD has become one of the nation’s largest agencies to help improve assistance for families that have lost loved ones to drunk drivers. The organization has made historical changes in laws and legislature. MADD, Impact on Social Policy Mothers Against Drunk Drivers has made a significant impact on our society today by bringing changes in our drinking and driving laws. MADD, more commonly referred to, has implemented a change in drinking age and mandated strict laws for people who break these laws. From a simple outcry by the founder of MADD, this organization has grown to service millions. MADD was originally founded by Candy Lightner in 1980 after her 13 year old daughter, Cari was struck from behind and killed by a drunk driver. The driver had three previous drunk driving violations and had been involved in a hit-and-run accident and arrest two days before the incident involving Cari. One of the most effective leaders was Rebecca (Beckie) Brown from New Port, Florida. Rebecca became involved in MADD after her son Marcus died at the age of 18 from an accident involving a 19-year old drunk driver. She created the first MADD in Florida and “was instrumental in passing legislation to raise the minimum legal drinking age to 21 in Florida. The U...
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...Drinking Age In The United States The drinking age in the united states should be lowered to 18. At the age of 18 you are considered an adult by law and can be tried as an adult in court, you can serve your country in the military, drive a motor vehicle at 16 and even do tremendous harm to your body by smoking tobacco, but you can’t go to the bar and have a drink. I believe there’s something wrong with that. Studies by the National Youth Rights association say that raising the drinking age didn’t save life's it actually lost more life’s for people age’s 21-24. They also said that Alcohol should be introduced in the home hold before the age of 18 parents should gradually teach them how to drink so they will be reasonably responsible later in life then they’ll be less likely to abuse alcohol because they were taught how to drink. Also Alcohol has played a big role throughout our history and to limit it to certain people should not be allowed. Keeping the drinking age at 21 is not going to solve the problem which is underage people drinking alcohol it’s only going to intensify the problem. According to ProCon.org having the legal drinking at 21 hasn’t stopped teens from drinking what so ever, it pressured them into wanting to drink more and it pushes binge drinking in dangerous environments which can lead to drunk driving and even death. While Interviewing a Fresno police officer he agreed that the drinking age should be 18 he said, “I don’t know how many times...
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