Russert: lots of people die from smoking or second-hand smoke. Do you favor a national no public places smoking law?
Clinton: it’s worked well in NYC. We should be moving toward a bill regulating tobacco through FDA. That will support local communities in making these kinds of zoning decisions. Don’t favor national law at this point.
Obama: local communities are doing the right thing. If we don’t see enough progress at the local level, I would favor a national law. I have been successful in quitting.
Edwards, Biden, Dodd, Richardson, Kucinich, Gravel all favor a national law.
Over to Alison King: is a drinking age of 21 unrealistic and counterproductive? Would you return the drinking age to the states?
Biden: absolutely not. Costs of alcohol are staggering. This is a gigantic problem. Now going back to Clinton: making a complicated argument about negotiation strategy.
Dodd: agree with Biden. Evidence is overwhelming. On the smoking issue: this is part of the health care debate. We will reduce health care costs by reducing smoking.
Richardson: won’t reduce the drinking age. Edwards won’t either.
Gravel: if you can fight, you should be able to drink.
Kucinich: kids will do what they want, but they’re looking for leadership. Kids should vote at 16 and vote at 18.
A 19-year-old adult can be killed at war, but can’t come home on leave and drink a beer, like one 19-year-old soldier who died in Iraq from my hometown.
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We ought to legislate responsibility, not ban legal adults from being able to drink. If anyone drinks irresponsibly at any age, they ought to suffer stiff and severe consequences that both sends a message they’ll hopefully learn and keeps them off the road. Otherwise, we’re just trying to cure diseases by treating the symptoms.
I really liked the drinking age question because to me it is the perfect juxtaposition of statistics (and statistical well being of the whole) vs. principle and freedom.
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You can imagine how I would answer it.
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I’m surprised more dems didn’t opt for freedom, but not that surprised.
At 21, the US has the highest drinking age in the world. Other countries (notably France, but I understand a lot of people in the US are allergic to learning things from France) have significantly lower drinking ages with the result that children grow up with a greater understanding of alcohol as a facet of everyday life… and alcoholism is significantly lower.
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Unfortunately, I think that getting there from here would be a hard road. A reduction to, say, 18, means a few years of 18-21 year-old kids getting alcohol and partying to excess in their new-found freedom before things settled down. I don’t know that we have the political will to see that sort of thing through.