...A Claim Against the Drinking Age in the United States of America The substance of alcohol has long been a topic of intense debate, particularly in the United States of America. In its relatively short history, the United States has had a prohibition which completely banned all alcohol distribution and consumption, as well as a drinking age which has changed over the years. Ultimately, it seems that legislative bodies in the U.S. cannot make up their minds. A big part of that indecision may stem from the fact that most amendments have been largely ineffective in culling what has been a very real, very large problem in the United States: alcohol related deaths or sicknesses. Nearly one out of every ten deaths in working class adults dies from alcohol-related incidents (10% of all deaths), making alcohol the fourth largest cause of preventable deaths in the United States. As a result of this, promoting responsible alcohol consumption and continued responsible actions once its effects take place are paramount in responding to those significant statistics. The method that seems to have been most focused on in curtailing dangerous alcohol consumption has been legally regulating who is allowed to consume it (as mentioned above: prohibition, and drinking ages). In short, alcohol consumption has been made illegal, and consequently deemed unjust, for people below certain ages. Many people have raised ethical, practical, scientific, and legal arguments surrounding...
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...changed the laws regarding drinking and driving throughout the United States. MADD changed the legal age for drinking and purchasing alcohol. MADD has made the laws stricter; including more fines and punishment for breaking the laws. MADD has become one of the nation’s largest agencies to help improve assistance for families that have lost loved ones to drunk drivers. The organization has made historical changes in laws and legislature. MADD, Impact on Social Policy Mothers Against Drunk Drivers has made a significant impact on our society today by bringing changes in our drinking and driving laws. MADD, more commonly referred to, has implemented a change in drinking age and mandated strict laws for people who break these laws. From a simple outcry by the founder of MADD, this organization has grown to service millions. MADD was originally founded by Candy Lightner in 1980 after her 13 year old daughter, Cari was struck from behind and killed by a drunk driver. The driver had three previous drunk driving violations and had been involved in a hit-and-run accident and arrest two days before the incident involving Cari. One of the most effective leaders was Rebecca (Beckie) Brown from New Port, Florida. Rebecca became involved in MADD after her son Marcus died at the age of 18 from an accident involving a 19-year old drunk driver. She created the first MADD in Florida and “was instrumental in passing legislation to raise the minimum legal drinking age to 21 in Florida. The U...
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...Drinking Age In The United States The drinking age in the united states should be lowered to 18. At the age of 18 you are considered an adult by law and can be tried as an adult in court, you can serve your country in the military, drive a motor vehicle at 16 and even do tremendous harm to your body by smoking tobacco, but you can’t go to the bar and have a drink. I believe there’s something wrong with that. Studies by the National Youth Rights association say that raising the drinking age didn’t save life's it actually lost more life’s for people age’s 21-24. They also said that Alcohol should be introduced in the home hold before the age of 18 parents should gradually teach them how to drink so they will be reasonably responsible later in life then they’ll be less likely to abuse alcohol because they were taught how to drink. Also Alcohol has played a big role throughout our history and to limit it to certain people should not be allowed. Keeping the drinking age at 21 is not going to solve the problem which is underage people drinking alcohol it’s only going to intensify the problem. According to ProCon.org having the legal drinking at 21 hasn’t stopped teens from drinking what so ever, it pressured them into wanting to drink more and it pushes binge drinking in dangerous environments which can lead to drunk driving and even death. While Interviewing a Fresno police officer he agreed that the drinking age should be 18 he said, “I don’t know how many times...
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...Drinking Age of the Military: Should it be Lowered Jason M. Stoudt DeVry University The drinking age in the military is currently set at 21 years old as it is set for the rest of the country. There has been an age old statement widely used by those in the military, “If I am old enough to fight and die for my country, I should be old enough to drink”. The debate is out there that the drinking age should be lowered for all young adults from 18 years old to 21 years old. The idea behind the fact that younger people tend to have less responsibility and are not good candidates for being allowed to drink is a valid point. Those serving in the military are different in that respect for the fact that they have more responsibilities than that of their counterparts in the civilian side of the realm. Anyone in the military from 18 until retirement has to be more responsible and is dealt with more severe consequences if they break the rules. Now the thing to look at is that it has not always been this way. In earlier years the military service members were allowed to drink if they were 18 years old and older as long as they were on a military base. It did not matter if the military base was overseas or inside the United States. In the middle of the 1980’s advocacy groups such as MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) as well as other groups lobbied Congress to have the rules changed. Per the U.S.C. 10, Section 2683, an amendment was made that changed the policy to reflect that the...
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... However, when I came to the United States, I was surprised that we couldn’t buy or drink an alcohol until we are 21. In “De-Demonizing Rum: What’s Wrong with “Underage” Drinking?”, Andrew Stuttaford is pro lower the drinking age. He points out that as an adult, who is under 21, “is judged to be responsible enough to vote, drive, marry and serve in the military”. Making alcohol a “forbidden fruit” will make the kids more curious about it and cause opposite effects. Moreover, although alcohol abuse is a big problem, it can help artists to create more amazing works as well as good for your body. Furthermore, too much government...
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...Suppose the government raises the legal drinking age in the UK from 18 to 21. Conduct an economic analysis of this policy to examine its impact on affected markets. The minimum legal drinking age or MLDA is the most well studied alcohol control policy. It is a controversial problem with different empirical studies showing opposite results. In my opinion the change of age from 18 to 21 will lead to lower demand and will cause prices to go up. The consumption of alcohol affects the economy in opposite ways- every beverage sold raises the welfare but the problems coming from alcohol (deaths, injuries, crimes and reduced workforce productivity) lowers welfare. The change of the MLDA is an answer to the question whether the economy is better off with more drinking or not. There are many studies some saying that the raise of the MLDA is going to cause more drinking. A very important thing that we mustn’t forget is the credibility of these studies. They have been carried out most of them in the 1970s and 80s and all of them in the USA. We need to consider that in the past people perceived things differently and results may not be the same today. Besides the studies were carried out in the USA which has a different culture than the UK. According to Phillip Huff (http://www.scribd.com/doc/31945082/The-21-Year-Old-Minimum-Legal-Drinking-Age-An-Economic-based-Analysis-of-Problems-with-the-MLDA-and-Potential-Solutions, page 2) the law as it is now is causing the loss of billions of dollars...
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...Case study analysis CASE METHOD EXERCISE: ABERCROMBIE & FITCH (by Meg Connolly, in Marketing Ethics: Cases and Readings (2006), edited by Patrick E. Murphy and Gene R. Laczniak) Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) of today differs dramatically from the original waterfront shop in New York that carried high-quality clothing suitable for camping, fishing and hunting. The A&F of 2002 can be found in virtually any major mall in America, and its target market includes preteen and teenagers. Indeed, the shift has been rather dramatic, and it could certainly be asserted that the direction A&F has recently headed strays substantially from the original vision of its founders. The style of clothes offered by A&F could be described as worn, casual, and rather rugged. Some critics contend the merchandise at A&F is seemingly overpriced considering that it is arguably no more unique than any other store of its kind geared toward the same market. One aspect of A&F that does make it unique from other stores, however, is their catalogue that was first published in 1997 and comes out four times a year with a spring break, summer, back-to-school, and Christmas issue. The Quarterly is a magazine-hybrid that, in addition to the clothing portion of the catalogue, has interviews with actors, musicians, directors and even some famous scholars. Fashion legend Bruce Weber does many of the photographs that appear throughout the magazine, and “these photos depict young, healthy, presumably red-blooded...
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...Constructing an Argument Section 1: Big Ideas Many people believe that everything is an argument—every piece of writing, every image you see. That's because every time we write something down—with the possible exception of a private journal entry—we are anticipating that someone else will read or see it, and we hope to achieve some kind of response in that reader or viewer. So even if you are writing a description of your favorite vacation spot, you are probably trying—maybe without even realizing it—to convince your reader that your vacation spot is the most beautiful place in the world. Think about it. When did you read any nonfiction writing that wasn't, finally, trying to persuade you of something in some way? Most rhetoricians—that's people who think about argument and language—agree that there are three basic ways to appeal to an audience. You can appeal to logic. That is, you can lay out your argument in clear, coherent steps, so your reader or listener can see how you get from one conclusion to the next. Or you can appeal to authority. Here you may want to find experts or facts to support your argument—think about Tiger Woods endorsing golf clubs. (Of course, do we also trust Tiger to advise us on buying watches? Not so clear.) Or you can appeal to emotion. Emotional appeals can be extremely powerful, especially when you are able to relate your argument to your readers' values or needs. Most good arguments make use of all three appeals in some way. But...
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...Intro Bus Critical thinking exercise 4-2 Ethical Dilemmas 5. You are the vice president of a beer company in a state that sets the legal drinking age at 21. Your boss asks you to organize a lobbying effort to have the drinking age reduced to 18. What would you do? A. I would do research and report my findings to my boss. Although it might seem like a good idea to do so -higher sales, and therefore higher revenue and profit- lowering the drinking age would be a losing battle. States can lower the drinking age back down to 18 or 19 but the amount of federal highway funds they'd lose (about 10%) makes it too expensive for them to do it. Many politicians don't want to risk getting involved. Why change something that appears to be working. Young people might like a beer at 18 but young people don't vote. 77% of Americans are opposed to lowering the drinking age to 18 according to a 2007 Gallop poll. Research shows that the law saves lives. It is one of the most researched public health laws on the books. When the law was raised to 21, alcohol-related deaths for young people decreased; when it was lowered, deaths increased. Scientific research about brain development and function, traffic accident records and population death rates show clearly that 18-21 year-olds handle alcohol poorly. The idea is strongly opposed by social and religious conservatives, parts of hospitality and retail industry concerned about liability, groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving...
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...Jordan Bryant-Smith 10/23/14 English 120 John Small Lowering the drinking age from 21 to 19 seems to be an automatic yes for college students under 21, but is it actually anything genuinely wrong with lowering the drinking age? Are there any potential benefits to restoring the drinking law to pre-1984 levels? In an article written for CNN, William Cohan argues that the standard drinking age is “all a farceâ€(Cohan), when alcohol consumption should be the first step towards responsibility. Robert Voas from CSMonitor, however, believes there is no possible benefit to lowering the drinking age. Both authors want to solve the problem of underage binge drinking. Cohan and Voas also agree that the minimum drinking age is not enforced strongly enough, however, they disagree on the effectiveness of the law. Robert Voas believes that the minimum drinking age is effective as it stands and lowering it would be a huge mistake. He feels particularly that society would be beneficial would be better off with the current law. In contrast, William Cohan argues that the national drinking law is incredibly ineffective and should be lowered to 19. William Cohan wants to solve the issue regarding underage binge drinking by simply lowering the law to 19. Cohan referred to the minimum age law as a “national joke†(Cohan), after considering the frequency of its violation, “every week if not every dayâ€(Cohan). He asserts that we should completely refocus our attention instead...
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...com, keeping legal drinking age at twenty one save 900 lives yearly. the drinking age should not be lowered to eighteen for many reasons. At eighteen, teenagers are not mentally mature. Unlike adults, teenagers drink just to fit in or just for the fun of it. Drinking at a young age is not healthy for teenagers at such a young age, because by the time they’re are twenty one they’re already alcoholics. When thinking about lowering the drinking age, you have to put the poor choices that would be made by an intoxicated teen in perspective. Such as, dropping out of school, laziness, violent behavior, and drunk driving. To no surprise, too much alcohol can slow down a person’s ability to think, react, and make decisions at the current moment. One important and deadly impact drinking can have on teenagers drinking at an early age is drunk driving. On average, two in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime. According to huffingtonpost.com, every day in America another twenty eight people die as a result of drunk driving. If the drinking age is lowered to eighteen it would do nothing to decrease those numbers, it will only increase the death rate. In conclusion, we can clearly see that underage drinking is not a good thing, and should be avoided for the sake of lives. As i stated previously, lowering the drinking age to eighteen can cause poor decisions making; which can lead to death, drunk driving, and addiction. The drinking age being lowered will...
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...Marketing Plan for Budweiser 2012 Submitted by: Submitted to: August 17, 2012 Budweiser Executive Summary The current business environment for a piece of the beer industry market is very competitive. Breweries must compete against other breweries, both large and small to remain a viable player in the sale of their beer. Budweiser is a product produced by Anheuser-Busch, an American brewery founded in St. Louis in the mid 1800’s. The intention of the following marketing plan is to not only continue to add to the legacy of Budweiser, but to re-energize the consumer’s appetite for Budweiser and increase the market share of the product. The formula for Budweiser is over 130 years old. The recipe has a unique blend of barley malt, brewer’s rice, yeast, water, and hops. These same five ingredients are what still goes into Budweiser today. We will promote how after 130 years the tried and true tradition of these five ingredients are the building blocks that give Budweiser its uncompromised flavor. In addition to the five ingredients, the seven steps in brewing Budweiser remain the same today. The seven steps are milling, mashing, straining, the brewkettle, primary fermentation, beechwood aging, and finishing (Budweiser Anheuser-Busch). Using the beechwood aging process allows more interaction between the beer and the yeast. This is the unique formulation that has propelled Budweiser into the staple beer which...
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...and make me feel that the higher drinking age is to blame for “pre-gaming” and the reason so many students either die or end up in the hospital while in college. The topic of the article is about college students “pre-gaming” for social events by consuming large amounts of alcohol beforehand. The author’s point of view is that with a younger drinking age a lot of “pre-gaming” behavior could be avoided. * Consider your own experience Growing up in a college town being River Falls, WI. I grew up two blocks from the UWRF campus. Around the time I turned eighteen I started getting invited to a lot of college party’s and frat parties and so on. I can relate to the binge drinking aspect. We all had to try and get ourselves good and buzzed up, before we went out for the night. Having the drinking age being 21 in my eyes sets the stage for a lot of young adults to have to “pregame” before going out. When young adults are away at college, sometimes it’s there first time away from home, there are going to want to drink and experience the “college” life. When you tell young adults that they can now vote, and that they can make all their own decisions and even go away to war and potentially die for their country, but they can have a beer. They will find a way to drink. To me that’s like adding fuel to the fire, and in return you give people no choice but to rebel, hence you get ‘pre-gaming” behavior. In my eyes if a person who is eighteen years of age and is old enough to vote and...
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...Opponent: Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Lozi Ms. Rhodes Comp 2 November 11, 2011 Opponent: Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Introduction At the present time, the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) Law is set at the age of 21 years old. Proponents would have the law revoked and the Minimum Legal Drinking Age reduced. This paper intends to prove that the MLDA should remain as it stands. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 protects our youth and society as a whole. Evaluation of the Present MLDA: Success Drinking and Driving The present MLDA laws set at 21 are effective. “Almost every state has seen a decrease in teenage driving fatalities since the law went into effect” (Hamilton, 2008, para 3). Before the law took effect, many American youths died in car accidents that could have been avoided if this law had been in effect at the time. “Over the past 20 years, the number of 15 to 20 year olds killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes has been cut in half. The number of 15 to 20 year old drinking drivers involved in fatal crashes also has been cut in half” (Hamilton, 2008, para 15). One cannot argue with statistics. Maturity Factor Most teens would argue that we, as adults, really don’t know anything that they don’t already know. The youth of America have a sense of entitlement, and for the most part, we have created a spoiled generation. “Many youth experiment with unlawful drinking-often to disastrous effects” (National Household Survey On...
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...There has been a recent argument made concerning whether the voting age is sufficient and whether or not it should be lowered to the age of sixteen. Many people believe that the voting age should be unaltered due because of maturity levels and not meeting the educational standards. However, I propose that the voting age should indeed be lowered. One factor affecting my judgment is the fact that many sixteen and seventeen year olds already act similarly to adults, looking at the fact that they pay taxes and drive. Another reason includes the fact that at age sixteen, teenagers are in their prime education period. Furthermore, voting is a way to hook the younger viewers and use their education to get them involved in current events. Because of...
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