Some of my favorite Bills include Cosby, Clinton, Gates and of course Shakespeare – however, I am not a fan of this new bill that is currently in the process of being approved by the state Assembly.
If passed, this bill would make it legal for bars to sue underage drinkers for up to $1,000. And you would think there are more important things to take care of in court than slapping an 18-year-old with a $1,000 fine.
First off, a significant portion of the revenue of certain bars on campus comes from underage drinkers. I’m sure any University of Wisconsin student could tell you a couple bars off the top of their heads where you could get your visiting high school siblings in easily. If the bill passes and it actually succeeds at keeping underage drinkers from going to bars, then these bars will likely go out of business.
It is also true that bars can go out of business from getting caught for knowingly letting in underage patrons – but if other bars are doing it, how will they stay in business anyway?
The main goal of this bill being passed seems to be to subdue Wisconsin’s drinking culture. I can say pretty confidently that this will not be achieved.
This is because the same people who would have gone to these bars will likely just attend house parties, where drinking and other shenanigans will occur. Not to mention it gets cold as balls in the winter, so it’s always nice to have an extra jacket, even if it is made out of beer.
Basically, trying to pass this bill is a waste of time when the state assembly can be working toward other goals that have bigger implications – like dealing with the issue of gun control or the economy.
To go for the power play, state legislators could solve this whole issue by lowering the legal drinking age to 18 years old. I know people say this all the time, but I’ll say it too because it makes sense – if you can go off to war and get shot fighting for your country then you should be able to have a drink. Also, if people were able to freely drink in bars and designated areas at 18 years old, they probably would not be as prone to binge drinking on the weekends.
Although I will hopefully be 21 years old by the time this law gets passed, I think that the Assembly should rethink the bill. It could put local bars out of business and it definitely will not get rid of Wisconsin’s drinking culture, which firmly stands in the glass boots of Germany. Let’s go back to the basics, change the drinking age to 18 and slow the roll of binge drinking. Let’s do it for the kids … the 18-year-old kids.
Hayes Cascia ([email protected]) is a sophomore with an undeclared major.
