Giving Booze To Babies…For or Against?

children drinkingFiled under “Arrival of Common Sense”:

“I have to ask you, if you are trusted to vote, trusted to carry a weapon in the service of your country, why can’t we trust you to buy a beer at the bar?”

This is one of the perfectly valid and obvious arguments that is being made by Colorado State Senator Greg Brophy in the service of a bill he will introduce in Colorado that would allow parents of 18-20 year olds to buy their children a drink in a bar or restaurant. According to reports, Senator Brophy was inspired to write and soon introduce the bill after sitting with his 20-year-old daughter on her birthday and being unable to share a drink with her at the restaurant.

Senator Brophy also noted that introducing his daughter to alcohol at home in a responsible manner was one of the ways he used to teach her to respect alcohol and treat and use it properly.

Predictably, the head of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Jan Withers, objects to the proposal. She notes that when 18 to 20 year olds drink with their parents, they drink more than average when away from their parents. In response to this objection, I’d only note that I’d love to see the study she must be referring to discover if these lucky sperm drink to excess more often, or just drink more often, a distinction that has some relevance. My feeling however is that the president of MADD is unable or unwilling to distinguish between the idea of a 20 year old drinking a glass of wine with their parents and the picture at the top of this post. She and others wants to this to issue to be discussed in the context of “GIVING BOOZE TO BABIES: FOR OR AGAINST?”

The fact of the matter is, I became somewhat giddy upon reading news of this proposal. I get that way when I see or read evidence of extreme commonsense in the alcohol debates. It’s rare. The fact is, I’ve never heard a reasonable argument for the proposition that people trusted to vote, to drive, to own a gun and to use a gun in the service of their country simply ought not be allowed to order a beer or a glass of Moscato. This argument is hypocrisy in the service nannyism. Plus, it’s pretty insulting to the young men and women who trusted to aim a rifle at another person’s head and pull the trigger.

I am doubtful this bill will succeed. Though, I will look forward to following the debate. Colorado is an interesting state. They just passed a law that legalize marijuana. Perhaps they’ll go even further down the road of commonsense.


5 Responses

  1. Samantha Dugan - January 8, 2013

    We feed them buckets of high fructose corn syrup, gallons of soda and that stuff that pretends to be food that you procure from the drive up window, but a glass of wine or beer, hell even a cocktail, at dinner is far too dangerous? I just don’t get it.

  2. Tom Wark - January 8, 2013

    Sam,

    You keep talking like that and they’ll put you in Parents Prison. Oh wait….You raised a fine boy and I’m betting he didn’t wait until he was 21 to sample the good stuff with mom and dad. Still, better keep your head down.

  3. Tim Vandergrift - January 8, 2013

    I’m constantly amazed at how Canadians manage to keep society from crumbling, what with our lawless and amoral attitudes towards letting 19 year-olds drink, our ability to play violent video games and view violent movies without engaging in civilian massacres every week, and our high rates of gun ownership combined with low rates of gun crime. Whatever are we doing wrong?

  4. Lee Newby, AIWS - January 8, 2013

    In Canada its 18 in Alberta 19 most everywhere else. But no beer or wine in grocery stores in many provinces like Ontario and British Columbia.

    The carry a rifle but can’t buy a beer doesn’t hold as on base for a serving member (and retiree, but not many under 21 retirees) the rules are set by the base and most allow over 18 members to drink.

    I remember going to University in California in the 70s and there were bars with 3.2% alc beer where you could drink if you were over 18, all that changed when the 1988 national embarrassment act (the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in July 1984) set the age nationally at 21 which is very strange.

  5. Jason Birkliy - January 20, 2014

    What’s up, I have seen that on occasion this site displays a 404 server error message. I figured that you would like to know. All the best


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