Lower drinking age being proposed
by Matt Simon | August 20, 2008 at 8:20 am
Posted in baltimore news, drinks, education
Should Americans be allowed to start drinking earlier than age 21?
That’s the question that signatories to the Amethyst Initiative want answered. They say the drinking age of 21 isn’t working and they want an open debate as to whether the age should be lowered. Oh, in case you haven’t heard, the people signing on to the initiative are not college-aged students, but college presidents.
Presidents from some of the area’s most well-known college are on the list. They include presidents from Towson University, the state’s university system, Goucher College, Johns Hopkins and the College of Notre Dame in Maryland.
Yesterday, the three major local television news stations — WBAL-TV, WJZ and WMAR — all ran the report and asked their viewers to submit their thoughts on whether the age should be lowered. The Sun is running a similar report this morning.
To be clear, the Amethyst Initiative does not call for a lower drinking age. Rather, it calls for a “informed and dispassionate public debate over the effects of the 21 year-old drinking age.” They say the current age encourages binge drinking and something is clearly not working.
Opponents of lowering the drinking age say its dangerous to allow younger people to drink because it would increase the number of alcohol-related car accidents on the road every year.
My opinion mirrors that of, I’m sure, many of yours. An American can smoke, vote and fight in the military at 18 years old, but can’t drink. Something seems pretty backwards about that. You can trust an 18-year-old with a gun, but not with a beer.
A state could lower its individual drinking age to under 21, but it would lose 10 percent of its federal highway fund because of conditions set forth in a 1984 Congressional bill.
Should Maryland lower its drinking age? Should the Congressional bill be scrapped?
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August 20th, 2008 at 10:55 am | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
To be clear, the Amethyst Initiative does not call for a lower drinking age
------snip----
Yet your post is titled: Lower drinking age being proposed.
So which is it Matt? I'm sure the president's of said college's would not appreciate you misrepresenting their intentions in an effort to create a (mildly) sensational headline.
More irresponsible reporting from the B.
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August 20th, 2008 at 12:30 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Uhh... it's a debate. Which means they are proposing a lower drinking age be debated. The initiative doesn't demand that it be instated, however. Just that it be debated.
More baseless comments from the ycktr.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:49 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Why don't you take a quick look at the Amethyst Initiative website - NOWHERE does it promote the idea of lower the drinking age. Clearly you didn't research your topic - but that's nothing new for you. Instead of copying and pasting (and usually misinterpreting) ideas from other sources...why not, ida know, develop your own perspective based on factual primary sources? I know, I know...that's would like, hard or something...but just give it a shot.
Otherwise I guess we can just expect more transparent pseudo-news from Matt.
Your choice...
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August 20th, 2008 at 12:39 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Perhaps there is no real reason why the affected demographic should get a MIP charge added on top of their DUI.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:31 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Matt you make me miss Lori so bad. She started out kinda rocky too but then she found some real news to report on... actually she started writing more about the mayor and the States Attorney Office and poof she was gone. And then we got puff piece Matt.
You really really need to step away from the computer go outside and look for some real news on your own. I mean all you do is copy and paste the news of the day and add a crappy question or two at the end.
Heck maybe b should hire YCKTR and myself to write the articles from now on. We do most of the work anyway in finding your errors.
August 20th, 2008 at 4:16 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Not an error at all. When you propose a debate, you are proposing an alternative idea.
August 20th, 2008 at 4:28 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
So you misrepresented the story on televised news as well. What's your point?
What's the matter Matt? You don't like when readers hold your feet to the fire? You should be happy that your getting real feedback - if you backed off the defensive stance for half a tick, you might actually grow from the experience.
Again...that's up to you.
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August 20th, 2008 at 4:31 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Interesting....you erased the comment about writing the report for last nights news. Me thinks SOMEONE was double-dipping again. Linking to stories you worked on for another entity...tsk tsk...not very honest Matt.
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August 20th, 2008 at 4:33 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
FYI...Here's the post that Matt just erased:
"Actually, I did read the website extensively. You know, when I was writing the report on it last night for the 11 p.m. news."
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August 20th, 2008 at 4:17 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
I wouldn't never accept such a position - I have a reputation to uphold.
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August 20th, 2008 at 4:55 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
You really are a piece of work. It was deleted because I didn't want to sink to your level. I've made it clear, both in my profile on this website and in numerous posts, that I freelance for a local television news station. And yes, SHOCK!, I write news for them.
August 20th, 2008 at 5:10 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Please, you erased it because you knew it was damaging. Did you make it clear in the original Blog that you were linking back and reporting on your own work? No, I guess you forgot to do that. You don't find anything ethically challenging about referencing your own report to support your interpretation of the news? Seriously...I'm really curious...
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August 20th, 2008 at 8:55 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Exactly.
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August 21st, 2008 at 6:23 am | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Why don't you go ahead and check out what all of those reports say? The reports to which I linked are all wire stories either from the network, the Associated Press, or that station's reporter.
You really do need some facts behind your baseless attacks.
August 21st, 2008 at 9:21 am | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
I'll collect some facts for my "baseless" attacks when you do the same for your "news."
I think we're all done here...
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