Former Midd President and head honcho of the org. Choose Responsibility, John McCardell has an article in this month’s issue of The Atlantic, the Big Ideas issue.
For the most part, he gives his standard stats on how binge drinking amongst 18-26 year olds has increased since the drinking age changed to 21 nationally. His big idea here, however, is none other than a sort of alcohol license, granted upon finishing high school and completing an alcohol education. He proposes:
“So what might states, freed from this federal penalty, do differently? They might license 18-year-olds—adults in the eyes of the law—to drink, provided they’ve completed high school, attended an alcohol-education course (that consists of more than temperance lectures and scare tactics), and kept a clean record.”
A license to drink that parallels my license to drive? Hmmm….interesting. I’m completely on board with Choose Responsibility, but something about this proposal just isn’t clicking for me. Is it really worth the extra paper work and red tape and the need to carry yet another ID with me everywhere? Although, since alcohol and driving are so frequently brought up in the same conversation, I suppose it makes sense to carry the connection just a little further.
Thoughts?
[via The Atlantic]
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