Time to Lower the Drinking Age to 18, Win Some Political Allies

Glenn Reynolds and Megan Mcardle both come out as proponents of changing the age to legally party-down to 18. From WSJ:

I will make one policy proposal. Some of my fellow libertarians hope that the Obama administration will put an end to the drug war. I hope so too, but I'm not too optimistic. Instead, I propose a smaller step toward freedom -- eliminating the federally mandated drinking age of 21. This mandate was a creature of Elizabeth Dole (who is no longer in the Senate to complain at its abolition), and it has unnecessarily limited the freedom of legal adults, old enough to fight for their country, to drink adult beverages.

Might be a tough battle, since the MADD nannies have already come out against even military members aged 18-21 drinking on bases. I suggest we start there, as one brave SC statesman has done against a sea of opposition by those who can't mind their own damn business. Then the seriously encroaching Reagan-era federal law that prevents Highway funds to states if the drinking age is below 21 could get nixed. After that, our puritan country could be in the clear to start treating people over 18 as adults like every other goddamn nation in the world.

It can't come too fast either, because it seems college kids are eschewing booze for intoxicating Obama rhetoric! From a Higher Ed study of my alma mater (by way of Reason):

The proportion of students who describe themselves as “middle-of-the-road” politically continues to decline, hitting an all-time low of 43.3 percent, while the proportion who describe themselves as liberal and far left grew to 31 and 3.2 percent, respectively. “This is the largest percentage of students categorizing themselves as liberal since 1973,” states the survey. The survey finds that 20.7 percent of freshmen characterize themselves as conservative, down slightly from 23.1 percent the year before.

The report finds increasing support among freshmen for liberal causes — including same-sex marriage. Support for environmental causes continues to grow.

Freshmen are also, apparently, partying less in high school. In 2008, 18.8 percent say they partied an average of six or more hours a week, half the 36.8 percent total in 1987.

Unlike Obama's Keynesian economic beliefs of the power of "stimulus", a massive binge on Natural Ice will only fuck you up for one night instead of prolonging the pain and agony of a depression for 8 years. While the computer science nerds are sipping on their Obamaesque Pepsis, cooler college kids could be guzzling booze and talking about the collapse of the dollar under a Democrat-controlled congress...or just have unprotected sex, whatever. Is this shameless policy promotion to woo young people politically? You betcha!