What age should it be to be considered a legal adult & assume adult responsibilities

[ladiesbballcoach]

Presently, it is all over the board.

 

14, 15, 16 for driving

21 for drinking

16 for sexual consent in KY

18 for voting

18 for joining the military

18, I believe, for signing into a contract

 

 

Should it not be one consistent age and that be for the entire country?

[STRIKE3]

Wow, this is too complex....Let me think about it.

 

I will say, that I believe alcohol consumption age is fine at 21.

[ladiesbballcoach]

Wow, this is too complex....Let me think about it.

 

I will say, that I believe alcohol consumption age is fine at 21.

You think that is complex, I had to reword my title 4-5 times because it exceeded the BGP limit on letters in the title.:lol:

[IAmAFan]

Presently, it is all over the board.

 

14, 15, 16 for driving

21 for drinking

16 for sexual consent in KY

18 for voting

18 for joining the military

18, I believe, for signing into a contract

 

 

Should it not be one consistent age and that be for the entire country?

 

 

For 21 year olds thats true. Theres a 5 year law. For 22 year olds it's 17 but if you are 23 are older it's 18. That was in the Falmouth Outlook once, I thought you'd have seen it.

[IAmAFan]

I think at 18 you should be 100% free. I think driving should be temps at 16 for a year and drive at 17.

[ladiesbballcoach]

For 21 year olds thats true. Theres a 5 year law. For 22 year olds it's 17 but if you are 23 are older it's 18. That was in the Falmouth Outlook once, I thought you'd have seen it.

I was at the Safe Schools Conference this week and attending a workshop put on by Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs that does this every day of the week for the state government. I have their paperwork in my hands as I type and it says

 

A person is NOT able to give consent under KRS 510.020 if that person is

*Less than 16 years old

*Physically helpless or mentally incapacitated (drunk or drugged)

*Mentally retarded

Neither silence nor submission is the same as consent.

[SportsGuy41017]

I will say, that I believe alcohol consumption age is fine at 21.

 

Now the big question that is always brought up, why can you die fighting in a war at 18, but can't go out and have a drink until you are 21? Not saying it's wrong or right, just for debating reasons.

 

I do have one question, would it be so hard to have breathalyzers installed on all new cars mandatory? To where the car won't start until you blow into the thing and pass?

 

Working at a night club I see people in their 30's, 40's 50's and on up who have less responsibility than a lot of 18-21 year olds. I spend about half my time after last call trying to convince +21 people they had too much to drink and that they should not drive, When I tell someone 18-20 they are in no shape to drive (I know we didn't serve them so they either drank before the entered or snuck some drinks) I don't have any trouble at all convincing them they cannot drive, some have actually come to me saying they can't drive and need a way home.

 

Plus, I know this is so in Ohio, not sure about KY. A 16-20 year old can have a parent, or +21 spouse legally give them alcohol in public places/bars/clubs. This is for public places, not in the homes. It is confusing.

[SportsGuy41017]

For 21 year olds thats true. Theres a 5 year law. For 22 year olds it's 17 but if you are 23 are older it's 18. That was in the Falmouth Outlook once, I thought you'd have seen it.

Wrong, it's 16 in KY. About two years ago there was a guy in Erlanger who was about 40 ish who somehow had contact with a 16 year old girl in Cincinnati. They had it planned that she would tell the school that her "uncle" was coming to school that day and take her to the doctors office. He went to her school and signed her out, took her back to his apartment for two days. She finally wanted to come home and called a friend of hers to tell her so, she didn't know where she was, but her friend told an adult and they found out where she was by the caller ID.

 

He was not charged with being with the 16 year old, as stated by the officers in that city, as 16 was legal. He was charged with interfering with parental control by signing her out of school, plus mentally she was only about 10 or 11 years old, so he was charged with that.

[STRIKE3]

Now the big question that is always brought up, why can you die fighting in a war at 18, but can't go out and have a drink until you are 21? Not saying it's wrong or right, just for debating reasons.

 

I do have one question, would it be so hard to have breathalyzers installed on all new cars mandatory? To where the car won't start until you blow into the thing and pass?

 

Working at a night club I see people in their 30's, 40's 50's and on up who have less responsibility than a lot of 18-21 year olds. I spend about half my time after last call trying to convince +21 people they had too much to drink and that they should not drive, When I tell someone 18-20 they are in no shape to drive (I know we didn't serve them so they either drank before the entered or snuck some drinks) I don't have any trouble at all convincing them they cannot drive, some have actually come to me saying they can't drive and need a way home.

 

Plus, I know this is so in Ohio, not sure about KY. A 16-20 year old can have a parent, or +21 spouse legally give them alcohol in public places/bars/clubs. This is for public places, not in the homes. It is confusing.

Death can occur at any age, but circumstances and surroundings, have more of an impact than entering the military at age 18. If you could walk into a bar and order drinks at age 18, then the college towns would be be chaotic.

 

Not so sure the military age, shouldn't be 21.....Like I said, very complex and I'll ponder my opinion.

[ladiesbballcoach]

Death can occur at any age, but circumstances and surroundings, have more of an impact than entering the military at age 18. If you could walk into a bar and order drinks at age 18, then the college towns would be be chaotic.

 

Not so sure the military age, shouldn't be 21.....Like I said, very complex and I'll ponder my opinion.

You are not really suggesting that an 18 cannot order a drink at a bar in a college town are you? What they can do and what they can legally do is two distinctly different things.

 

I agree that it is complex, but I can see the point of a certain age should be the point of when they are ready to take adult responsibilities.

 

If we say they are mature enough to drive a car, why are they not mature enough to vote? And if they can give consent at 16, why can't they vote? Or maybe they are not ready to give consent or drive a car or make a voting choice until they are mature enough to be allowed to legally drink?

 

I agree it is a complex and good point to debate. Makes for a great P & R, BGP thread.:thumb:

[STRIKE3]

You are not really suggesting that an 18 cannot order a drink at a bar in a college town are you? What they can do and what they can legally do is two distinctly different things.

 

I agree that it is complex, but I can see the point of a certain age should be the point of when they are ready to take adult responsibilities.

 

If we say they are mature enough to drive a car, why are they not mature enough to vote? And if they can give consent at 16, why can't they vote? Or maybe they are not ready to give consent or drive a car or make a voting choice until they are mature enough to be allowed to legally drink?

 

I agree it is a complex and good point to debate. Makes for a great P & R, BGP thread.:thumb:

If I had my way, the age for alcohol consumption or tobacco purchase, would be 25 in college towns.

[02Ram54]

If I had my way, the age for alcohol consumption or tobacco purchase, would be 25 in college towns.

If America were to lower the drinking age to something more in line with Europe, like 16, it would probably shock you how the drinking problems in college towns would decrease.

 

Our current system encourages drinking to be seen as a forbidden fruit, and also encourages binge drinking by those between 16-21. By the time college students are legal, they cut back on their drinking a lot because the mystique has been taken out of it.

[STRIKE3]

If America were to lower the drinking age to something more in line with Europe, like 16, it would probably shock you how the drinking problems in college towns would decrease.

 

Our current system encourages drinking to be seen as a forbidden fruit, and also encourages binge drinking by those between 16-21. By the time college students are legal, they cut back on their drinking a lot because the mystique has been taken out of it.

You are right, it would shock me....

[IAmAFan]

I was at the Safe Schools Conference this week and attending a workshop put on by Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs that does this every day of the week for the state government. I have their paperwork in my hands as I type and it says

 

A person is NOT able to give consent under KRS 510.020 if that person is

*Less than 16 years old

*Physically helpless or mentally incapacitated (drunk or drugged)

*Mentally retarded

Neither silence nor submission is the same as consent.

 

 

I just looked it up. However, I know that I read that several years ago so maybe it has changed.

[02Ram54]

You are right, it would shock me....

I'm sure most of America shares your opinion. But if you comapre the two continents, especially southern Europe where drinking laws and attitudes are the most liberal, you'll see that holding America's drinking age at 21 (the highest int he world) is not working. We have a huge rate of binge drinking, especially in the 16-21 age pool. If it isn't working, why do we keep doing it?

 

Cause take it from someone who frequently goes to parties where people aged 18-25 attend, it isn't working.:lol: