18 to 21 drinking age

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by flappist

You really don't get it do you?

It is not going to happen regardless of who gets in. It is just a rehash of Kevin Rudd's comments about a year and a half ago.

It is a beat up, a story printed to outrage and confuse.

Independents like Nile et. al. often introduce silly private members bills mostly to sure up their position with their own minority groups.

Others make random comments which the media love to jump on and report out of context to create a furor because the more angst and misunderstanding the more people talk and read about the subject on their paper/site and therefore the more advertising they can sell.

Also silly things like this divert attention away from more pressing issues which is where the bias comes from.

My implication is that I suspect that it is very likely that Keneally will be gone after the next election regardless of who wins and there will be a whole different set of agenda to play with.

For someone who does not care what happens in NSW you do seem to write a lot about it.

Except it was raised in 2009 by the police commissioner and rejected by the govt. Its now introduced as a bill by a private member. So thats at least twice in a year that the issue has come up. She is saying let the public debate the issue, the story has been picked up by more than the SMH. I have no doubt she is using it to highlight a difference between herself and the opposition, its what they do. Still, she didnt orchestrate it, but since the conductors have waved their batons, she is playing her fiddle, just as the opposition have struck up their trombone.

It wont happen if govt changes?? That will depend on how many votes are gained in say, the over 35 age groups v how many are lost in the 18-say 24 age group by doing so. They'll just ramble about law and order and saving the children if the numbers indicate a gain.

I understand politics better than you think. I grew up in it, Ive been around it ALL my life, including people in the top job. I dont enjoy politics, Im just very aware of it.

No, I wrote about you. In this post, Ive written something beyond the thread about NSW.

[ILLaViTaR]

Do these morons have anything better to do besides trying to further baby the population.

If it did go through it'd be a stupid nonsensical backwards step.

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by drew`SEVNT5

Anyhow, back on topic, I could have sworn I read a tweet from BoF saying he had been taken out of context by the SMH, something along the lines of 'if it were proven to help, its a great idea, but you can't unscramble an egg/put the cork back in the champagne bottle'

Yeah, he was somewhat taken out of context. The interview was on ABC's Stateline.

He said basically, if we could start again, it would be a good idea to raise the drinking age to 21. But the rest of what you said is right, basically you cant recork the champaign/unscramble the egg.

But he left himself open to that interpretation, as what he is really doing is having a bet both ways. When he knows what way the wind is blowing, he'll firm up on it. The part that hasnt been put out much yet is the actual age that would be looked at, 25 is a number that medical people are talking about. As that is when it is believed the average male has the capacity to make reasoned decisions, prior to that, the mind hasnt developed enough to curb risk taking. She is too, but she has tried to dodge the issue altogether until this bill AFAIK.

And before anyone jumps on me, it isnt my thoughts. I know 30 yr olds who take stupid risks. I know very well adjusted 18 yr olds. I havent seen the data or any information about the samples used to draw the conclusions.

[Interceptor]

if they cant stop under 18's from getting maggoted whenever they want, what chance do they have with the 18-20yr olds?

[Stattic]

lol
im 20 and i drank hard for 12 months when i was 17/18 and quickly grew up when i and most of my friends realised going out and drinking that much was a waste of money and time (as in the rest of the weekend spent throwing up)
ive just got better things to do with my life. if people want to go spastic every weekend then let them because in apart from the unfortunate violent incidents that occur every once in a while, its themselves that are being put out in the long run

everyone wants to go party when theyre 18, most get it out of their system and afterwards only go clubbing etc every so often. most people are 19 by this point and if a 19 year old cant make responsible decisions for themselves,( and i specify 19 because a young person needs time to adjust after turning 18) then i assure you these people keep going with their attitudes long into their 20s

why do we focus on laws such as this when we have criminals killing and raping people and getting a slap on the wrist? surely there has to be some politicians with the balls to have an opinion on a costly and difficult issue rather than simething ridiculous such as this!

[flappist]

Originally Posted by fmc351

Except it was raised in 2009 by the police commissioner and rejected by the govt. Its now introduced as a bill by a private member. So thats at least twice in a year that the issue has come up. She is saying let the public debate the issue, the story has been picked up by more than the SMH. I have no doubt she is using it to highlight a difference between herself and the opposition, its what they do. Still, she didnt orchestrate it, but since the conductors have waved their batons, she is playing her fiddle, just as the opposition have struck up their trombone.

It wont happen if govt changes?? That will depend on how many votes are gained in say, the over 35 age groups v how many are lost in the 18-say 24 age group by doing so. They'll just ramble about law and order and saving the children if the numbers indicate a gain.

I understand politics better than you think. I grew up in it, Ive been around it ALL my life, including people in the top job. I dont enjoy politics, Im just very aware of it.

No, I wrote about you. In this post, Ive written something beyond the thread about NSW.

And all becomes very clear.........

[grandpa_spec_F6]

Stupid idea to lower the drinking age.

I'm 20, I did most of my partying around 16 - 19, now I go out now and then, enjoy a few drinks and rarely get 'faceless'.

As Stattic pointed out, you soon realise that your whole weekend is ruined due to a hangover, you're down a couple of hundred thanks to fancy club cover charges, drinks and cab fares... and for what? So you can't remember the night you just had?

Most of my friends (including myself) have taken up hobbies that cost us about 1/10th of what it does to go drinking every week, and it's far more enjoyable as we are all present, alert, no one is getting into fights and all is well... until one day....

[hendoau99]

i'm 17. in 4 months ill be 18. i reckon it would create 3 more years of underage binge drinking. And when i am 18 i'm not getting wasted all the time, I've done that pretty much for the past 2 years and me and my mates realized that it was time to grow up after one of my mates was hospitalized with kidney failure from binge drinking. what are they even trying to achieve with this? someone please tell me, because so far i can only think of bad points.

[Peter B - CV8]

Back in the late 70's (when I was "of a legal age" for drinking) - you got a skin full with your mates & generally steered clear of trouble (ie skinheads & bodgies). If you got involved in a dustup, you went out to the carpark, settled it with a few punches, and came back inside - often buying the other bloke a beer - or vice versa.
These days, a lot of the younger drinkers seem to come prepared for trouble. Many of them carry a weapon or aren't averse to using a glass, or kicking into someone (with help from their mates). I'm not saying this never happened in my time - just no way near as often as it seems to now.
Personally, I think increasing the legal drinking age to 21 might not be a bad idea - but it comes with a whole raft of associated issues. Apologies if I've upset any responsible younger drinkers out there - I do realize that you're not all tarred with the same brush

[BENT_8]

Totally agree peter!

At the risk of upsetting our younger population it needs to be said that you've brought this problem on yourselves.
The increase in alcohol related crimes; sexual assualts, bashings, glassings etc. in the last 5 or 6 years is plain to see and anyone who ventures out on the weekend will see it regularly, you dont need to read about it in a tabloid newspaper...there is an issue.

The choices are pretty simple, either face an enforced ban and lose yet another freedom we have come to take for granted, or call upon people of your generation to stop the violence!

In my time i've seen much change in areas of Depression, sex education, spousal abuse, child abuse etc. Issues that were barely spoken aloud let alone displayed on every street corner at 3am sunday morning.
These issues faced by todays youth must firstly be acknowledged and then acted upon by the majority, only then will peer pressure stamp it out.

You wanna keep drinking in clubs at 18...Pull ya f'in heads in!

[hendoau99]

i agree with the above 2 posts. this past weekend, i was at kfc ordering a late night feed, when 2 16 yr olds came in and beat a bloke ordering infront of me, then they followed him and beat his car aswell. it took 8 cops to stop 2 juveniles. it was the lowest act i've seen. if this keeps happening we wont be able to do anything till where 25. it's much the same as the p plate laws i have to obide by. god they're frustrating laws, and people still dont obey them.

[Auturbo6]

Just ban alcohol i say. A godsend to our ailling health system. Prohibition anyone.
lol. later.