A recent trend in legislation among conservatives is to re-evaluate the legal age to consume alcohol. A few states are taking different approaches to the debate. A Minnesota bill would allow anyone 18 and older to buy alcohol in bars or restaurants but not in liquor stores until they are 21 years old. In Missouri, a bill was introduced to change the drinking age to 18 regardless of purchasing location.
A Wisconsin bill would lower the drinking age to 18 for military personnel. For everyone else, it would remain at 21. Besides the problem of equality, lowering the drinking age below 21 creates secondary problems.
By giving military personnel different rights, Wisconsin will very quickly find itself on a slippery slope, for other groups will surely want to drink at 18. Granted, serving in a war changes a person's life forever.
However, going into the workforce right out of high school or going to college also shapes one's life. Regardless of one's path in life, it does not make them more or less prepared for the responsibilities of consuming alcohol.
The proposed bill is unfair and unjust. If the state wishes to change the drinking age, it must change it for everyone. If the state wants to support the troops, it should support resolutions to the Iraq War, not the drinking age.
