Set drinking age back to 18? Fix economy?

[blackmonsters]

I have been wondering about this for a while.

I wonder if setting the drinking age back to 18 would cause restaurants, bars and
stores to increase income enough to be significant.

I can image 18 years olds going to decent restaurants and now the bills is 50% more
because they bought drinks.

Night life is now more active because they can get into bars.

Retail stores may want to stay open later because there are more people on
the street at night going and coming from bars.

Maybe drug use slows down since it makes more since to go into a bar and drink
than it does to go to a crack house or "hang out" doing meth.

Many 18 yrs old are drinking anyway, they are just doing it illegally and on the CHEAP!

Only the crooked store clerk that's sells to underage is making the money.
Crooked mofo's are probably crooked when they file taxes too.

I worked as a bouncer and one night I caught 10 fake IDs and I was only one of
4 bouncers. So the teens willing to try a fake ID, are out there in
significant numbers. It's the honest teens that get the shaft.
No way in hell did I catch every fake ID, some of them got in.

[Dubya]

you worked as a bouncer? yeah right pussy.

[Slap Dot]

I heard this guy is a pussy.

Can anyone confirm?

[theking]

Originally Posted by blackmonsters

I have been wondering about this for a while.

I wonder if setting the drinking age back to 18 would cause restaurants, bars and
stores to increase income enough to be significant.

I can image 18 years olds going to decent restaurants and now the bills is 50% more
because they bought drinks.

Night life is now more active because they can get into bars.

Retail stores may want to stay open later because there are more people on
the street at night going and coming from bars.

Maybe drug use slows down since it makes more since to go into a bar and drink
than it does to go to a crack house or "hang out" doing meth.

Many 18 yrs old are drinking anyway, they are just doing it illegally and on the CHEAP!

Only the crooked store clerk that's sells to underage is making the money.
Crooked mofo's are probably crooked when they file taxes too.

I worked as a bouncer and one night I caught 10 fake IDs and I was only one of
4 bouncers. So the teens willing to try a fake ID, are out there in
significant numbers. It's the honest teens that get the shaft.
No way in hell did I catch every fake ID, some of them got in.

That has been done before and traffic deaths/injuries significantly went up among teens so the law was changed back to 21.

[porno jew]

didn't know you could get people to bounce from the labor ready.

[BlackCrayon]

i think legalizing weed would go a lot further than that.

[ottopottomouse]

Originally Posted by blackmonsters

I can image 18 years olds going to decent restaurants and now the bills is 50% more
because they bought drinks.

So they go less times, and/or smash their car up on the way home.

[cherrylula]

Originally Posted by theking

That has been done before and traffic deaths/injuries significantly went up among teens so the law was changed back to 21.

Yeah better to send them to the middle east with lots of dangerous weapons to kill people with. HOORAH

But don't give them beer!!!

[campimp]

legalized marijuana and regulated online poker would do a lot more and much safer

[blackmonsters]

Originally Posted by theking

That has been done before and traffic deaths/injuries significantly went up among teens so the law was changed back to 21.

When was that done?

I missed it.

[blackmonsters]

Originally Posted by campimp

legalized marijuana and regulated online poker would do a lot more and much safer

I don't think it would be easier to pass though.

[u-Bob]

Originally Posted by theking

That has been done before and traffic deaths/injuries significantly went up among teens so the law was changed back to 21.

Over here the legal age is 16.... but if a 14 year old were to walk into a pub and order a beer, he would get it no questions asked.

The result is that kids don't regard drinking alcohol as anything 'special' or to brag about. They don't get fake id's to buy beer. They don't ask 'older' people to buy them beer. They don't get drunk as a way to stand out. Beer's just... beer.

[blackmonsters]

Originally Posted by ottopottomouse

So they go less times, and/or smash their car up on the way home.

Drinking age was 18 when I was eighteen, more teens got killed sober by getting
hit by trains than crashing a car from drinking at my high school and college.

In fact, I know of only one person that died in a car after drinking and he was 21
in his senior year of college.

Just my personal experience.

Also, this could be a city by city thing,

for example : Who da fuck drives to a bar in New York City? Nobody!

[brassmonkey]

Originally Posted by theking

That has been done before and traffic deaths/injuries significantly went up among teens so the law was changed back to 21.

you can go and get blown up and shot but cant drink real good

[blackmonsters]

Originally Posted by u-Bob

Over here the legal age is 16.... but if a 14 year old were to walk into a pub and order a beer, he would get it no questions asked.

The result is that kids don't regard drinking alcohol as anything 'special' or to brag about. They don't get fake id's to buy beer. They don't ask 'older' people to buy them beer. They don't get drunk as a way to stand out. Beer's just... beer.

It's the "drinking attitude" in America that is the real problem.

People act like idiots and play drinking games where they do shot after shot of booze.

Then there are the ones that brag about how much they can drink and how they
can "hold" their liquor.

The emphasis is always on getting "hammered" by a lot of people.

Better education about drinking is needed, but that could be part of the deal.
States must have a solid alcohol education program in the schools before any
law will change.

[blackmonsters]

Originally Posted by brassmonkey

you can go and get blown up and shot but cant drink real good

Not only that but the 18-20 group has nothing to do except "hang out" in the
streets. The result is a lot of fighting and shooting.

Amazing how gang shootings exploded across America when the drinking age was
raised. Coincidence? Or just the result of people hanging in the street with no where
to go?

[DVTimes]

in the uk its 18.

but most 12 year olds are sat outside with a cheap bottle of cider.

[fuzebox]

I always found it strange how the USA has the highest drinking age in the world...

[blackmonsters]

Originally Posted by fuzebox

I always found it strange how the USA has the highest drinking age in the world...

But we have all this freedom, right. </sarcasm>

We have the biggest jerks in the world for a normal society and that's part of
the drinking problem. Add alcohol to an America and you get instant asshole half the
time.

[epitome]

Originally Posted by blackmonsters

When was that done?

I missed it.

When my parents were kids I think it was 18 for beer 21 for liquor. They're both in their mid-60s.

[brassmonkey]

Originally Posted by blackmonsters

Not only that but the 18-20 group has nothing to do except "hang out" in the
streets. The result is a lot of fighting and shooting.

Amazing how gang shootings exploded across America when the drinking age was
raised. Coincidence? Or just the result of people hanging in the street with no where
to go?

the shootings were money motivated. when you can clear 10 grand + per cell per nite you have other gangs wanting the money some are not even gangs they know the money is flowing through.

[JimmyStephans]

I'm not sure that enough 18-20 year olds have enough cash to be hitting the bars and clubs and places to eat.

Now many of them are paying a big brother or sister to buy a bottle so the increase in spending because of an age change might not make much difference.

Overall, I agree age 18 makes more sense. It was around that until 1984 and didn't make much difference. Remember, there was also a time when all national speed limits were 55mph. Raising it back up didn't drastically increase death totals.

Its strange that at age 18 they can vote for the President (thereby influencing live and death daily), and be in the army and have a gun and decide when to shoot and not shoot, but they can't decide when to drink or not drink / drive or not drive?

[thickcash_amo]

makes sense, but I don't know that it will directly help the economy. Maybe just a short term boost.

[blackmonsters]

Originally Posted by JimmyStephans

I'm not sure that enough 18-20 year olds have enough cash to be hitting the bars and clubs and places to eat.

Now many of them are paying a big brother or sister to buy a bottle so the increase in spending because of an age change might not make much difference.

Overall, I agree age 18 makes more sense. It was around that until 1984 and didn't make much difference. Remember, there was also a time when all national speed limits were 55mph. Raising it back up didn't drastically increase death totals.

Its strange that at age 18 they can vote for the President (thereby influencing live and death daily), and be in the army and have a gun and decide when to shoot and not shoot, but they can't decide when to drink or not drink / drive or not drive?

18 yrs old and cash?

They can spend the check from their last porn shoot.

What's the average age of a first time military recruit? 18.

Who is that working at McDonalds? 18.

Who has a credit card to use in freshman year in college? 18.

Who got the summer job and the seasonal work in retail? 18.

Who got the baby sitter money? 18.

Who made spring break a financial windfall? 18.

Who has no rent, no food bill, no utilities, no car payment and nothing else to spend their money on? 18.

The money is there.

Bottom line : The death of a teen gave MADD(Mothers Against Drunk Driving) a massive
heart string to pull on. "One teen life lost is too much". They made a strong argument
by pulling the heart strings.

When are they going to pull the heart stings about teens dying in Iraq/Afghanistan?

Hmmmmmmm?

They don't give a fuck because they like war against Muslims.

As long as the teens are dying to fulfill the wishes of the "adults", it's all good.

[bronco67]

Sure, let's start encouraging our kids to poison themselves at a younger age. I don't buy the "they'd do it anyway" argument.

Kids are already crazy enough behind the wheel. Do you want them coming from a bar to slam into your wife while she's taking the baby for a stroll?

---and where are these kids getting money? From their parents that are broke and can't go to the bar? The economy is in the dumper because people can't go to restaurants and bars?

You have a whack-ass idea there, genius.

[blackmonsters]

Originally Posted by bronco67

Sure, let's start encouraging our kids to poison themselves at a younger age. I don't buy the "they'd do it anyway" argument.

Kids are already crazy enough behind the wheel. Do you want them coming from a bar to slam into your wife while she's taking the baby for a stroll?

---and where are these kids getting money? From their parents that are broke and can't go to the bar?

If you believe they aren't drinking anyway then you either didn't go to college or
you went to college in Iraq.

Seriously.

Remember the Duke Lacrosse mess, they were drinking when the strippers came over
and the one stripper got drunk/drunker after she got there.
Only a few senior players would have been 21.