Minnesota bill would ban drinking at midnight on 21st birthdays

[Squatch]

MINNEAPOLIS -- The traditional power hour most new 21-year-olds celebrate could soon come to an end.
A new bill introduced in the Minnesota House last week would prohibit 21-year-olds from drinking at midnight on their birthdays. Individuals would have to wait until 8 a.m. instead.

The chief author of the bill, Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, said the purpose is to prevent deaths because of excessive drinking of alcohol by young adults.

The bill states a person is not 21 years of age until 8 a.m. the next morning and that consuming, possessing, selling and serving alcoholic beverages would be restricted.

http://www.uwire.com/content//topnews030405002.html

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So, this Refucklican seeks to impose 8 more hours of control over 21-year olds' lives, despite being adults in every legal sense of the word.

[flamingyouth]

1. That doesn't make any sense

It's better to send the message that people should start drinking at 8 am? :shrug:

[AngryAmish]

12. People should start drinking at 8 a.m., period

Nothing like morning drinking to make the rest of the day better.

[livinginphotographs]

25. As Frank Sinatra (i think) said:

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's the best they're going to feel all day."

[blockhead]

30. If you don't start drinking at 8a.m.......

how can you drink ALL day?

[LynneSin]

2. Hell by midnight I was already trashed off my ass on my 21st b-day

:shrug:

[Squatch]

3. And I grew up in Germany, so by the time I made it to the US

(21 years old), I had already pickled my liver.

[shoelace414]

4. I don;'t get it

why is this a good idea? or more specifically..

who asked for this?

[David__77]

5. That's the case in California.

You cannot drink until after 6am on the day of your 21st birthday. It doesn't in itself seem crazy--what's crazy is that the age is 21 and not 18. Why should we be treated as adults in terms of responsibilities and not rights?

[medeak]

19. Being between CA and Utah in NV

is schizophrenic.

Ordered a very fine glass of wine in CA; didn't have enough time to finish glass before play was starting down the street...asked for "to go cup" and of course...that's just against the law...god forbid I should walk a block with a plastic cup of wine.

In Utah if there is a drop of wine in your glass it is illegal to order another. Waiter has to watch you down the last sip.

Was in Idaho yesterday at Mexican Restuarant and friends and I couldn't order margaritas on Sunday.. no Sunday liquor law.

God it's good to be back in NV where I can drink and smoke as I please!

[saigon68]

6. MORE FEELGOOD LEGISLATION

I guess they have nothing better to do

[Bluebear]

7. "Let's encourage our youth to be morning drunks!"

Mimosas, bloody marys and screwdrivers for all! :eyes:

[katinmn]

8. One of the newer Moran legislators

You should see the BS they've been introducing.

It would be laughable if it weren't so frightening.

[M155Y_A1CH]

9. Why???

By that age most young adults are
already proficient at drinking? LOL

[Vladimir]

10. You gotta be kidding me n/t

[GiovanniC]

11. Okay, So Here Are the Possible Scenarios:

SCENARIO ONE: WHAT HAPPENS NOW
Kid stays up until midnight on his 21st birthday, when it becomes officially legal for him to drink. He drinks until the bar closes, which is usually 2:00 am. He has been legally drinking for 2 hours. Republicans die a little on the inside, and God smites a puppy in retribution.


SCENARIO TWO: WHAT REPUBLICANS THINK WILL HAPPEN IF THIS IS ENACTED
Kid stays up until midnight on his 21st birthday and goes into the bar. But the bartender cards him and says, "Sorry, son, but you ain't legal to drink until 8 am." The 21-year-old, totally foiled, goes home, reads Acts and Romans, prays, and goes to sleep vowing never to touch a bottle of alcohol ever.


SCENARIO THREE: WHAT WOULD REALLY HAPPEN IF THIS IS ENACTED
Kid stays up until midnight on his 21st birthday and goes into the bar. Bartender cards him and refuses to serve him. Kid goes with some buddies and they buy several cases of alcohol and drink themselves into a stupor in someone's basement.

[shadowknows69]

13. Exactly

why are the republicans trying to hurt the small bar owner. You know how much potential revenue is lost in those power drinking midnight b-day parties?

[rodeodance]

18. only in our new God-fearing America run by Repugs!!

[dflprincess]

14. Scenario three won't work in Minnesota

I don't think there's anywhere you could buy a case a beer at midnight, at least in the metro area.

Scenario 4:
Kid goes home, sets alarm clock for 7:30 and is first in line the next morning when a bar opens.

I don't understand this bill. I know my niece and nephew that have hit 21 waited until the evening of their 21st birthdays to go out. They, and their friends, wanted more drinking time. Fortunately, they rented limos for the celebrations.

I missed out on the 21st birthday ritual. Way back then, Minnesota lowered the age to 18 about a year before my 21st. (Though that didn't stop us from going over to Hudson, WI where the age had been 18 for a while.)

[GiovanniC]

17. Under Those Circumstances

I don't know how many kids would hit the bars at 8:00 am, but honestly Republicans would still only be delaying the inevitable for just a handful of hours.

Far more likely, kids would wait until 7:00 or 8:00 in the EVENING, hit the bars, and drink for 6 or 7 hours instead of 2. And honestly, it very likely wouldn't be the first alcohol these kids have ever had in the first place.

[NickB79]

39. Come on, give kids more credit than that

We'll just have some friends buy us beer at 9:30 that night :-)

[LiberalFighter]

41. Kids too smart... will figure way around it

[toopers]

15. More age discrimination.

[w4rma]

16. Repugs write SO MUCH frivolous legislation. (nt)

[DoveTurnedHawk]

20. Absolutely Retarded

Don't these idiots have anything better to do?

DTH

[xxqqqzme]

21. turning-21-drinking

is so f*cking out of control in Minnesota (Minnesota???) that it requires legislation? Was this assclown drunk?

[Renew Deal]

22. This is just dumb.

I understand, but it's not going to solve the problem. They'll just get blitzed the next night, or at a party or whatever. Most 21 year olds have 21 year old friends.

[Hardrada]

23. Some have older brothers

Back on leave from the military. No problem!

[Kitsune]

24. Who the hell waits until they're 21?

I mean seriously.

[Neverarepublican]

26. Mimosas at

8AM are pretty good.

[napi21]

27. This is one of the mose foolish bills I've hear about.

Does this guy actually think nobody drinks until it's legal? I know I'm old now, but the whole office used to go to a restaurant to celebrate something (just about anything) and they NEVER carded anybody. No restaurant wants to upset 35 to 50 paying customers!

When I got older, and had kids of my own, I bought their beer for back yard parties. The agreement was to use my back yard, nobody drives after drinking, and it was a sleepover, so nobody drove drunk because they never left until about noon the next day. Yea, I know, if it was today, I'd be in jail!

The more you restrict certain behavior, the more people want to do it. That starts at about age 1.

[Ian David]

29. They're just upset that the Virginia Butt-Crack law got shot down

Next, we have to pass a law that you can't drive after sunrise on the day you get your driver's license.

[Runcible Spoon]

32. heh. Buttcrack laws. However I think 16 is entirely too young

to be issued a driver's license. Let's make alcohol 16 and driving 21. With a car, you have a responsibility for others' lives, either in the passenger's seats or on the road. With alcohol the only one you harm is yourself (unlesss you're a spouse-abusing or bar-brawling type, in that case it wouldn't really matter how old you were)

[XemaSab]

37. But if the driving age was 21

how can a bunch of 18 year olds get blown up in an unarmored humvee overseas???:shrug:

[fertilizeonarbusto]

28. This beyond stupid

How much dough are you guys wasting on this crap?

[leesa]

31. How incredibly stupid! Must be a Republican idea!

[Ian David]

33. How about you can't drink if your 21st birthday is on a school night?

[amandae]

46. of course!

aren't repugs for LESS government interference in the lives of Americans??? :eyes:

[Mugweed]

34. There must be nothing left to do

up there. No real issues to tackle...everythings been taken care of and this is reaching crisis proportions? Making being the legal drinking age "not legal" for a few hours is the big issue for this schmuck? What happened? Did a frat boy smash his fender in the parking lot of the local gin mill? I can see him now: "You know, it never hits home until it happens to you (sniffling). Just look at my Jag! (sobbing)"

[MinneapolisMatt]

35. I always thought...

...a good law would be you can't drink until you graduate from high school.

That way (for good reasons OR bad) more kids would get their diplomas, and nobody would be drinking while attending high school (legally).

Then, all college age drinking would be legal. It's simple, and would be a lot less of a headache for law enforcement and college bars. ("Got a high school graduate mark on your driver's license? OK, you're fine.") Or your college ID would exempt you.

But whatever. Living in the land of logic doesn't mean much these days when dealing with Republicans.

[Endangered Specie]

36. This is incredebly pointless:

1 - 98% of kids start drinking well before their 21st birthday.
2 - You can't buy booze at midnight
3 - Most good 21st bday parties are still going at 8am.

[Kat45]

38. That is totally asinine!

Why should the govt even have the power to make such a law? How would they enforce it? How much time and money would be wasted in trying to enforce it? Why is it any of their business? Don't they have anything better to do?


:wtf:

[Toots]

40. I am sure they would have no problem sending an 18 year old off to die

in some foreign war someplace though. They are plenty adult enough for that.... What is eight hours in the scope of things? Republicans demonstrate complete foolishness more often than not.

[Melynn]

42. Is this a problem?

Are there a bunch of drunk driving accidents involving people who just turned 21? If the answer is no then why is the law being proposed at all.

Isn't funny the way Republicans say they are against big government then turn around and pass laws restricting personal liberty and spend tax payers money like there's no tomorrow when they are in power.

[truthisfreedom]

43. my car was seriously damaged by a 21-year-old celebrating his b-day

when he plowed his dad's huge dodge ram pickup into the car behind mine (ours were parked), backed up (leaving his bumper with license plate), and exited the scene the wrong way down a one-way street.

i think waiting a day to drink certainly wouldn't kill someone, but there's always going to be that first time...

[Dave Reynolds]

45. Exactly,

everyone who wants to drink on their 21st will do so at some point. This bill does nothing but delay things for a day, and then instead of having only two hours to drink, they get from bar opening to last call the next day.

[Dave Reynolds]

44. Hell, why not take it to the next level

and make them wait until the exact minute they turn 21.

Is everyone in the gub'mint an asshat?