The Drinking Age vs. The Military

            In the United States when an individual turns eighteen they are granted new rights by the government. Along with these new rights comes new responsibilities. At the age of eighteen an individual is given the ability to vote in elections. Why would an eighteen year old be permitted to vote in elections if they were not viewed responsible enough by the government to make important decisions? When someone turns eighteen they are also legally considered an adult, and are held responsible for their self and their actions. The United States government has the ability to hold a military draft for all citizens ages eighteen to twenty-six. Does it really seem fair that an eighteen year old could be sent to war against his or her own will but is not allowed to consume alcohol at that same age? Fighting for the freedom that your country possesses requires more responsibility than drinking alcohol.

            As a twenty year old citizen of the United States I feel that I should be allowed to consume alcohol if I would like to. I consider myself a responsible person that can make smart decisions about alcohol among other important choices in life. I have been many places where minors were consuming alcohol and have seen the decisions that they make. When younger drinkers are in the presence of older, more experienced drinkers, smarter decisions are normally made. The minimum drinking age does not stop the consumption of alcohol by individuals under the age of twenty-one. Looking back at the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s shows that the government decided to ban the purchase and consumption of alcohol all together, and this clearly did not work. When prohibition did not work the government took this into consideration and decided that this idea needed to be reformed. When a law is enacted for a certain purpose and fails to achieve the goal, it needs to be taken back to the drawing board and other approaches must be taken. So, what do you think?