I have always supported the right of a military serviceman or service woman the right to purchase and consume alcohol. It is sad they are old enough and responsible enough to put themselves in harms way for our country, but they are not allowed to drink. I agree with you, the logic of allowing someone to get married at 18, yet not drank is odd. However, our society does not support this exception to the law. Therefore, I am forced to support the lowering of the age to 18.

There is no way the drinking age should be lowered.

There may be a handful of kids that age responsible enough to handle alcohol, but you're talking straws in haystacks here. Kids that age are notoriously stupid, I am sorry. We all were that age, we all know this. I was one of them. And if you'd let me purchase alcohol legally at 18, oh boy. No, no.

Kids that age whine about not being treated fairly or for being discriminated against because of their age, but they reap what they sow. They can't handle the responsibilities they have already. They have the ego to think they deserve everything without having to earn it. It's like someone else said, they can't even follow a dress code in school. Go out on weekend nights and look at the drivers that age. They have 5 people crammed in the backseat of their car, driving around in a souped-up vehicle that looks like it came out "Fast and the Furious" and they rev their engines and race their buddies down the street because apparently that is cool or something. I see them every weekend, weaving in and out of cars because they're in such a hurry or something. Then go see a movie at the theater with primarily teens in in the audience and tell me you want them having any more rights than they already have. They can't even act appropriately in a public place.

All teens think they are invincible. Mortality isn't something that occurs to someone that age. Every high school has that story of some kid that got on a motorcycle or something and hit a telephone pole and died. And everyone is like "How could this happen?" Well, it's quite simple: you get on a motorcycle, you hit a telephone pole, you die.

There's also the fact that some 18 year olds are still in high school. And you can't sit there and tell me they would not give beer to their underage friends. Come on. Friends are everything to kids that age. If their 16 and 17 year old buddies were like "Come on, man, buy us a case and let's get wasted", they would. Then you have them already breaking the law there by supplying to minors.

Being underage doesn't prevent kids from drinking (it's called "older friends"), and from my own experiences being around kids that age that are drunk, they are not responsible. They make trips to the gas station and fast food places drunk. They drive home drunk. They are young enough not to care. Some of these people are my friends I'm talking about here, and no. They are not responsible, I will say it here. They always want more responsibility, but they are not mature enough to handle it. This is just how it is.

No thanks, Steph. In case you don't know, Texas tried this experiment before and modified the law progressively upward.

Frankly, I'm in favor of raising the driving age to 18 after watching (and avoiding) the current generation multi-task while handling an auto.

Ok, so ... let me giggle a sec.
1. "Uh, no." isn't a valid argument.
2. Dress codes and alcohol responsibility?!! Really.

So, let me say, that lowering the drinking age, Stephanie, would be a horrible idea. Let me state some facts; brain development doesn't stop until on the average age 25 y/o. For some, women it's 21 and men it's 29, go figure! So, it basically doesn't stop growing until about 25. The part of your brain, for sake of medical terminology, where your logic and reasoning is 'based' doesn't fully develop until youre 35!!! Which means, putting alcohol into your system could have a multitude of negative effects on today's youth. Why make it worse?

So, if you ask me I think it should be raised. I won't stereotype, all teenagers go through a phase, I'm sure you did or will before you are 35 at least. So, it's not just teenagers that abuse or misuse, it happens to everyone, we just have to advocate responsible drinking or none at all.

18 yo's can't follow the dress code in school, what makes you think they can handle the responsibility of alcohol ?

Stephanie, I am sure that a great many people your age are more than responsible enough to have a plan and get home safely after enjoying a few spirits. However it is the majority that fowled up the chance you and others may have by extreme acts of human mayhem associated with exessive alcohol intake and the mis-behavior that goes with it. It took me until I was 26 to start drinking responsibily and now I look back and wonder how I survived and didn't hurt anyone else. An 18 year old boy who may still be in high school and just got his drivers license decides to buy a case for him and his 17 year old friends on a school night. He in his mind may understand he needs a plan and shouldn't drive after drinking, but is still influenced by his 17 year old buddies. "Come on man, take me to this girl's house" He hasn't the maturety nor the experience to know how to say "Sorry man, I've had too many". He decides to drive his buddies to said girl's home who lives in lets say Yorktown. Around Myersville the darkness and curving roads may have defeated his driving ability sober. Add the better part of a case of beer and now you have several white crosses along the side of The Upper Mission Valley road. This has happened so many times since I have been old enough to watch the news or read the paper that it or the possibility of it occurring again make it neccessary that adults who have a few years in the real world and understand the risks and consequenses of these actions, be the ones allowed to consume alcohol.