In America, you are given rights primarily based on your age. When someone turns 15, in the state of Georgia, they can apply for a driving permit. When they are 16, they can take a road test to receive a drivers license. The next year, when someone turns 17, they can see R-rated movies and buy "mature" video games. When someone becomes an adult, they have full US rights, the ability to adopt a child, vote, live completely independently, join the military, buy a gun, buy a can of chewing tobacco, etc. The question that always ponders my mind is why there is one right left out of becoming an adult: The ability to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages. Why is it that someone has to have additional years of adulthood before they can drink? An 18 year old citizen in America could own multiple guns, fight in war, live independently, but not be able to drink a beer? Now I know that statistics show that raising the drinking age from 18 to 21 saves lives, but I see this as a foolish argument because if the government passes legislation to outlaw anything for a certain group, obviously not as many are going to misuse the given substance.
When someone turns 18, they must register for Selective Service within 30 days of their birthday. They could be sent to war, which puts them at risk of injury and unfortunately the case sometimes, fatality, but still aren't allowed to drink one beer. Something doesn't add up. Every adult citizen should have equal rights in America, so saying that an adult who is allowed to consume the highly addictive nicotine and able to adopt a child doesn't have the same rights as another is absurd. When people become adults, when they turn 18, they need to learn how to handle responsibility, and one of the biggest forms of proving yourself responsible is to not abuse alcohol.
Although this legislation will most likely never change, I believe that if the government has the ability to force someone to go to war, they should be able to drink one beer. Like I said before, I do not condone underage drinking, people still need to follow the laws; I just think the laws are flawed.
