About time, i was in Desert Storm at 18, why i can't drink at that age?
Lawmaker wants to lower soldier driking age
:t:
May 31, 10:18 PM EDT
Lawmaker wants lower soldier drinking age
By JR ROSS
Associated Press Writer
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- One Wisconsin lawmaker figures if the U.S. military trusts 19-year-olds with a $10 million tank, then the state should trust them with a beer.
State Rep. Mark Pettis, a Republican who served in the Navy, is pushing a bill that would drop the drinking age to 19 for Wisconsin soldiers - but only if the federal government agrees it will not yank an estimated $50 million a year in highway aid.
A federal law ties federal highway dollars to compliance by the states with the required drinking age of 21.
"We're treating these young men and women as adults when they're at war. But we treat them like teenagers when they're here in the states," he said.
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Pettis admits his proposal will be a tough sell unless Wisconsin gets the federal government's approval - or at least permission to start a pilot program to prove it will not cause more accidents or other problems opponents associate with a younger drinking age.
Wisconsin transportation officials say the federal government has told them there is no process to apply for a waiver from the drinking age requirement, and creating one would likely take an act of Congress.
The bill would create an exemption for 19- and 20-year-old soldiers from Wisconsin - but not for soldiers from out of state. A valid military ID along with a Wisconsin driver's license or identification card would be required.
A committee is expected to send the bill to the full Assembly for consideration next week, and Gov. Jim Doyle has said he supports it - as long as Wisconsin does not lose any federal highway money.
Interactives
Martin Luther King's Life
40th Anniversary of the 'I Have a Dream' Speech
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The Wisconsin chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving has lobbied against the bill. Its executive director, Kari Kinnard, said statistics show there have been fewer highway fatalities, injuries and other problems associated with alcohol since the mandatory minimum went into effect in the 1980s.
She also said research shows the brain has not fully developed until people reach age 21. "It's for their own protection," Kinnard said.
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
May 31, 10:18 PM EDT
Lawmaker wants lower soldier drinking age
By JR ROSS
Associated Press Writer
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- One Wisconsin lawmaker figures if the U.S. military trusts 19-year-olds with a $10 million tank, then the state should trust them with a beer.
State Rep. Mark Pettis, a Republican who served in the Navy, is pushing a bill that would drop the drinking age to 19 for Wisconsin soldiers - but only if the federal government agrees it will not yank an estimated $50 million a year in highway aid.
A federal law ties federal highway dollars to compliance by the states with the required drinking age of 21.
"We're treating these young men and women as adults when they're at war. But we treat them like teenagers when they're here in the states," he said.
Advertisement
Pettis admits his proposal will be a tough sell unless Wisconsin gets the federal government's approval - or at least permission to start a pilot program to prove it will not cause more accidents or other problems opponents associate with a younger drinking age.
Wisconsin transportation officials say the federal government has told them there is no process to apply for a waiver from the drinking age requirement, and creating one would likely take an act of Congress.
The bill would create an exemption for 19- and 20-year-old soldiers from Wisconsin - but not for soldiers from out of state. A valid military ID along with a Wisconsin driver's license or identification card would be required.
A committee is expected to send the bill to the full Assembly for consideration next week, and Gov. Jim Doyle has said he supports it - as long as Wisconsin does not lose any federal highway money.
Interactives
Martin Luther King's Life
40th Anniversary of the 'I Have a Dream' Speech
:t:
The Wisconsin chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving has lobbied against the bill. Its executive director, Kari Kinnard, said statistics show there have been fewer highway fatalities, injuries and other problems associated with alcohol since the mandatory minimum went into effect in the 1980s.
She also said research shows the brain has not fully developed until people reach age 21. "It's for their own protection," Kinnard said.
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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But i don't like what he's doing, lower the age for those in the military, but not for the rest of the kids, If you are going to allow the one in the military, you should let everyone else, the military is not for everyone, this sound more like a recruitment tool
Wolfman i didn't want to go that deep, but i hear you, I came to the State from Germany when i was 19, and i had to wait until i was 21, even tho i came from Irak.
Its not like they are using the highway money, cause the highway they all have holes and stuff.
Hey i have a bumble bee, 85 Rx7 making 400+ horsepower at the wheel, hahahaha.
I think so, but its fast man LOL
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