2008 House Bill 150 (Legalize alcohol purchase and consumption by miliary members under age 21)

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Introduced by Rep. David Floyd on January 8, 2008, to exempt enlisted members of the United States Armed Forces, state National Guard, or the Reserves from laws prohibiting alcohol possession or consumption by people between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one.
- Referred to the House Licensing and Occupations Committee on January 10, 2008.

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Comments

Introduced by Rep. David Floyd on January 8, 2008. New Comment

1) just for military [by Anonymous Citizen on March 1, 2008]
im sorry but for those who seem to use the statistics that drinking at 18 is dangerous seem to neglect the fact that those studies are done on the general population. not on solely military personal, the fact that the men and women volunteer knowing the risks and dangers shows maturity beyond the majority and the basic training furthers that...i'm a member of the USAF and im also in college so i see both sides, while me and my friends still drink, we do it responsible and even have a DD system set up that we rotate and one person will drive for any of our friends.

but on the other hand i think it should only be limited to military personnel. i see how alot of 18/19 year olds act normally and you can tell they arent mature enough to handle alcohol. but dont punish the mature ones for someone who is immature's mistake.
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2) Let them drink BUT [by Anonymous Citizen on January 12, 2008]
If these guardians of our gates to our freedoms want to drink on their off hours,thats fine with me.But to make it more fair to the rest of the underage drinkers, lets also make it so that if your underage and stopped by law enforcement with any level of alcohol in your system you get on a list.The second time your caught drinking you are automatically sent into the military for three years.This will serve two funtions, It will get the underage drinkers to think twice about it,and will add to the amount of people in the services.

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3) Research needed [by Anonymous Citizen on January 2, 2008]
The good Representative ought to do some research into the attitudes of the military leadership concerning "underage" drinking. It was, for many years, normal for the US military stationed overseas to set the legal drinking age for military members to the same as the local society. In Korea, that age was 20 until the mid-90s, with no significant problems. Then, the Korean government lowered the legal drinking age to 19. The US Forces Korea staff prepared the documents to change the local regulations, lowering the US military's legal drinking age to follow suit. The Commanding General of USFK vigorously objected to the change and had the regulations revised to RAISE the legal drinking age to 21. Ever since, "underage" drinking has been a significant disciplinary problem throughout USFK, and has been the cause of considerable strife, as US military commanders insist that Korean bars - not under their juristiction - not serve alcohol to "underage" service members.

Just remember that the drinking age of 21 in the US was forced upon the states by the NTSB who threatened to withhold highway construction matching funds from any state not raising the drinking age from 18 to 21.

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4) I'm confused. [by Anonymous Citizen on January 3, 2008]
Are you for the bill or against it?
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5) Vet1 [by Anonymous Citizen on December 18, 2007]
I have a different opinion than most. I agree with this legislation. Not to condone underage drinking, but everyone knows it is pretty easy for minors (military, college or other) to get access to alcohol.

Remember that most of the countries that our servicemen and women are stationed allow drinking at age 18 or 19. When I was stationed in San Diego, we had plenty of 19 and 20 year olds heading down to Tiajuana, in many cases, just to go drink. That's a lot riskier than drinking on base or at a friend's house.

We should allow it, but on base only. And no take-home sales. Also, the limit for drinking and driving underage should remain low (0.2%).
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6) Agreed [by Anonymous Citizen on January 30, 2008]
I appreciate this legislation. People my age are fighting and in some cases giving their life for this nation. I think it is disrespectful not to give them the opportunities that the same people they protect enjoy. They are entrusted with millions and sometimes billions of dollars worth of sensitive equipment but aren't given the chance to consume a beer or two when they come home? It's about respect in my eyes.
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7) Terrible idea with bad consequences already known [by Anonymous Citizen on December 18, 2007]
There is no need to promote yet more alcohol use in our military which already has a huge problem with alcohol abuse. This will add to the problem.

So, some government employee complained to his legislator that his son, who could go into harms way in war, could not have a beer, legally, big deal. I am also the father of a son in harms way - two tours thus far and another coming up. I see no positive gain from lowering the drinking age for our military, none! I am also a Veteran who was that 17 - 21 year old in uniform.

By the way, I am also opposed to the voting age being 18. Not only do very few 18-21 year olds have the maturity, wisdom, and knowledge of history and citizenship to cast an intelligent vote, very few 18-30 year olds have the maturity to handle alcohol properly, if there is such a thing.

It appears that in the Senate, we have a bill to create substance abuse centers for military members. Does this not speak loudly for what this bill to allow underage drinking in the military will do?

Senate Bill 39 (Create substance abuse center for military members):
Introduced by Sen. Joey Pendleton on January 8, 2008, to create an alcohol or substance abuse treatment fund for active duty members of the United States Armed Forces.
Details and Comments: http://www.kentuckyvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=55311

Bottom line - there is nothing positive to gain from promoting yet more alcohol use in our military, or anywhere else for that matter. If the government employee who complained about the law wants to have a beer with his under age Veteran son, let him do it in the privacy of his own home, which I would argue government has no business regulating.

I will even buy him the twelve pack if that is what he thinks he needs to hear a thank-you!

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8) Unbelievable! [by Anonymous Citizen on December 15, 2007]
This is unbelievable. Sorry, Representative Floyd, but alcohol consumption is not a right like voting. Using the excuse of military service for under age drinking is ridiculous. Are you drunk?
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9) ... [by Anonymous Citizen on April 22, 2008]
I'd like to point out that the right to vote is no where in the US Constitution. And by the way did this bill pass? I'm a 19, almost 20 year old, in the KY National Guard.
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10) hey there jackass [by Anonymous Citizen on January 29, 2008]
The 21st Ammendment:

Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use there in of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

When the 21st Ammendment was passed it appealed the 18th Ammendment there for making it null and void. So yes it is a right to purchase, carry,and consume alcohol. Do you see anything there about a drinking age? No because there is no federal drinking age it is set by the individual states and in some the municipalities and/or counties. Don't believe me? Look it up. Serve your country or shut up.
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11) :) [by Anonymous Citizen on April 22, 2008]
I concur
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12) federal blackmail [by newmark on January 29, 2008]
I don't know if you know, but the reason that al of the states raised their drinking age to 21 was because all 50 states were threatened that the Federal Government threatened to cut off Federal Highway Funds (aka. YOUR tax dollars, sent to DC and returned only with their "permission" and to only be used as they see "fit"). The "explanation" from the Federal Government was that it would help curb drunk driving. This same method was recently used to force states to go to 0.08 BAC as a baseline for intoxication while operating a motor vehicle.

Ohio, for instance, used to allow 3.2% beer for those between 18 and 21 years of age. These "light" beers still exist today.

The Feds, under Clinton, used this same "highway dollars" tactic to raise the minimum smoking age to 18. They didn't provide a "direct" link like the drinking age. They simply said it was for the children.

The federal government doesn't have the power to regulate the drinking or smoking age (though, if the issue had started TODAY I bet that ruling would be different), but they just won't give any non-compliant state any highway dollars.

I wish we had the nerve to stand up to them.
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13) What about federal highway money? [by Anonymous Citizen on December 14, 2007]
Isn't this an empty bill? We lose federal road money if we don't keep the drinking age at 21.

What is the bill meant to do? What constitutional basis is there for discriminating between those in the armed service and those who are not?

A generation ago we gave all 18 year olds the right to vote because they could serve our country (and in fact be required to under the draft). If passing this bill makes sense, then only men should have had their voting age dropped to 18 during Vietnam, since women weren't subject to the draft. Sound preposterous? So is this bill. If lowering the drinking age is acceptable, do it for everyone, but don't discriminate like this.
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14) Illegal to leagalize underage drinking [by Army Veteran on December 14, 2007]
I think it should be illegal to legalize underage drinking no matter what your affiliation. I realize these boys volunteer to join our armed forces and sometimes ultimately sacrifice their own life to guarantee our freedoms however we need not help them sacrifice their lives by promoting alcoholism at a young age.
The immediate and long–term risks associated with underage alcohol use underscore the need for effective prevention and treatment programs. Research toward those ends has revealed genetic, biologic, developmental, and environmental influences on underage drinking.
Scientists have found that variability is a crucial aspect of alcohol problems across all age groups and thus is a key consideration in alcohol research. For example, there is a three– to fourfold between–individual variation in the rate of absorption, distribution, and elimi-nation of alcohol (pharmacokinetics) and a two– to threefold between–individual varia-tion in the sensitivity of the brain to the effects of a given concentration of alcohol (pharmacodynamics). Understanding the underlying causes of this variability, both ge-netic and non-genetic, should provide insights into underage drinking and binge–drinking patterns.
Acute consequences of underage drinking include unintentional death and injury associ-ated with driving or engaging in other risky tasks after drinking, homicide and violence, suicide attempts, sexual assault, risky sexual behavior, and vandalism and property dam-age. In addition, these consequences appear to be more severe for those who start drink-ing at a young age.
Alcohol has been reported to be involved in 36 percent of homicides, 12 percent of male suicides, and 8 percent of female suicides involving people under 21—a total of about 1,500 homicides and 300 suicides in 2000. Homicide is the second leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds
Individuals under the age of 21 commit 45 percent of rapes, 44 percent of robberies, and 37 percent of other assaults, and it is estimated that 50 percent of violent crime is alcohol-related
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 4,554 underage deaths each year are due to excessive alcohol use.13
Alcohol use plays a substantial role in all three leading causes of death among youth - unintentional injuries (including motor vehicle fatalities and drownings), suicides and homicides.
Among young people, binge drinkers and heavy drinkers are more than twice as likely as non-drinkers to report having attempted to injure themselves or having contemplated or attempted to commit suicide.
Research has also shown another specific link between heavy alcohol use and youth sui-cides. States that passed "zero tolerance" laws to reduce youth drinking-driving also ex-perienced statistically significant reductions in suicide deaths among 15- to 20-year-olds, compared to states that did not pass such laws.

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15) I see your point, but [by Anonymous Citizen on January 31, 2008]
In my view the problem with youth and alchol is the have no exposure to it. The vast majority of youth will drink before 21, that's plain and simple. So why not let them and then it can be controlled more. As far as military dirinking age I think it should be 18 that way I don't have to have people buy it for me. :)
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16) Really? Alcohol is satan's incarnate? [by newmark on December 15, 2007]
Alcohol prohibition causes the very problems of binge drinking. In Europe, where the consumption of alcohol is no big deal, they have significantly fewer problems with binge drinking. Except at soccer games. But that's a different story.

Teenagers will do anything that they're told not to do if they're not given a good reason. Some do it even with good reason.

I was taught about what alcohol does. I was taught to understand that it can be very dangerous when abused. That you can hurt or kill yourself or worse, someone else. Coming from a family with a history of alcoholism, I was taught that if you abuse alcohol, you can end up an alcoholic and be unable to ever drink again.

Rather than just being told "Don't do it", I was given good, solid reasons not to abuse alcohol.

And that's to say I never did. I drank too much a few times. I can count the number of times on one hand.

But now I always drink responsibly. I have never driven after drinking anything more than one beer. Many of my friends were taught to drink responsibly, rather than being given the prohibitionist line. We all lived, and never even had any "close calls".

In fact, the people I know that got into trouble with alcohol were the ones told absolutely not to drink. There's a funny trend there -- the ones told not to have any sexual relations, but aren't given any reasons why, are the ones who are more likely to end up pregnant prior to marriage as well.

Alcohol is not the problem. Outright prohibition, rather than logical, rational explanation is the problem. Be honest with your kids. Tell them what alcohol can do, teach them the dangers, teach them reality. Don't lie, and don't be a hard-ass, and your kids really will respect you more for it.

I say we should be reducing the age for drinking anyway. I think we should also reduce the age for driving. There's no reason to baby people until they're 18 or 21. If we want responsible people, we need to teach them responsibility from a younger age, not an older one.

PS. Zero tolerance is why kids get kicked out of school for having that evil drug Tylenol and why it requires a 45 minute drive at midnight to the 24 hour pharmacy to get a decongestant that works. Yes, zero tolerance might work, but it also severely infringes on civil liberties.

PPS. Recent studies show that life is the leading cause of death.
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