Turning 18 brings much legal responsibility. At this age you are allowed to vote, marry, be tried in court as an adult, fight and die for your country. If you're legally responsible for these vital matters, shouldn't you be for all other matters? A Vindication of the Rights of Man by Wollstonecraft states that all people should all be given the same rights, and there will be no discrimination against any rights. Limiting certain laws by age violates this. For drinking, the law should be changed so that the legal age to drink is lowered to 18. Learning responsible drinking behaviors at a younger age leads to less binge drinking and better decision making when alcohol is involved in the future. With tattooing and body piercing, I agree with most state laws that state tattooing is illegal before the age of 18 and body piercing is illegal before 18 years old, unless you have parental consent at any age (only for body piercing). Full responsibility comes at age 18, younger people make rash decisions and follow trends, so they might do something to their body they might regret later, and tattooing stays with you forever. Waiting till 18 will also give someone underage enough time to think through the decision and figure out what they would want, if they want one that badly. There should also be a car rental law passed that lets any eligible driver 18 years and up the ability to rent a car without having to pay a daily surcharge, or surcharge of any type, for being below a certain age. This law should also be enforced nationwide. A person defined by the laws stated in the Constitution, which grant them rights at 18 years of age should be given all of the basic and natural rights at this age. All of these laws should be applicable to anyone of a certain maturity age, which is reached by everyone at the age of 18.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Opinion on Laws
Turning 18 brings much legal responsibility. At this age you are allowed to vote, marry, be tried in court as an adult, fight and die for your country. If you're legally responsible for these vital matters, shouldn't you be for all other matters? A Vindication of the Rights of Man by Wollstonecraft states that all people should all be given the same rights, and there will be no discrimination against any rights. Limiting certain laws by age violates this. For drinking, the law should be changed so that the legal age to drink is lowered to 18. Learning responsible drinking behaviors at a younger age leads to less binge drinking and better decision making when alcohol is involved in the future. With tattooing and body piercing, I agree with most state laws that state tattooing is illegal before the age of 18 and body piercing is illegal before 18 years old, unless you have parental consent at any age (only for body piercing). Full responsibility comes at age 18, younger people make rash decisions and follow trends, so they might do something to their body they might regret later, and tattooing stays with you forever. Waiting till 18 will also give someone underage enough time to think through the decision and figure out what they would want, if they want one that badly. There should also be a car rental law passed that lets any eligible driver 18 years and up the ability to rent a car without having to pay a daily surcharge, or surcharge of any type, for being below a certain age. This law should also be enforced nationwide. A person defined by the laws stated in the Constitution, which grant them rights at 18 years of age should be given all of the basic and natural rights at this age. All of these laws should be applicable to anyone of a certain maturity age, which is reached by everyone at the age of 18.
Law for Age Requirement for Renting a Car
There is no set law for an age requirement for renting a car. New York is the only state that requires car rental companies to rent to all qualified drivers 18 years of age and older. Many companies require drivers to be at least 25 years old to rent a vehicle. Several will rent to drivers over 21, but penalize those under 25 with a daily surcharge. This surcharge can sometimes be so expensive that it almost doubles the entire cost to rent an economy class car. Other companies restrict the types of vehicles drivers under 21 years old can drive, usually not allowing them to drive luxury cars. Almost all car rental companies will refuse to rent to drivers under 21 years of age. Younger drivers pose a greater risk because they have a higher chance to possibly have an accident, which is why car rental companies refuse to offer car rentals to young adults. Anyone at any age is capable of having a car accident. It is true that with experience comes better drivers, but not always.Sometimes it is possible for younger drivers to rent from small company owners or companies far from big cities, for they would be more lax on the company policies. If a young traveler is trying to rent a car from an airport, they should bring extra cash to either pay for daily surcharges or paying for taxis and bus fares. This is unfair for travelers under 25, because sometimes alternative transportation is not always readily available or accessible and might come at a very large expense then.
It is illegal to discriminate against an otherwise qualified applicant seeking to rent a car due to age, but because of public safety considerations from operation of vehicles, car rental companies are given flexibility under the law in setting blanket age restrictions.
Age Constraints on Piercing and Tattoos
There are inconsistent laws, or no law stated at all, for the age you are allowed to get a body piercing or tattoo, or even they are allowed at all, for every state.
In Georgia the legal age to get a tattoo is 18, but it is illegal to tattoo within an inch of the eye.
In Georgia the legal age to get a body piercing is 18, unless you have a parent's consent.
Body piercings are not as dangerous as tattoos can be, because if you take the piercing out of the hole, it can always close right back up. It does take some responsibility to care for piercings though because it can lead to infections if not cleaned or taken care of regularly. Those who would go get piercings would hopefully do so in licensed places and make sure everything is medically safe and sanitized. It is not worth the risk that comes with getting one illegally. At a certain age, younger people might do what the trend or fad is at the time, which could be a certain piercing or tattoo, so just getting one for this purpose is not a responsible decision and should require parental consent at this age.
Tattooing is a much dangerous and permanent matter. One must make sure the tattoo parlor is licensed and has been inspected for safety precautions. Tattoos should be something that is thought through, since it is permanent and will stay on your body forever. What someone thought was a great idea when they were younger, might not seem as such a great idea later on in life. It takes responsibility to get a tattoo and should not just be a rash decision.
If done under safe conditions and the person makes a responsible decision, both tattooing and body piercing can have a positive outcome.
In Georgia the legal age to get a tattoo is 18, but it is illegal to tattoo within an inch of the eye.
In Georgia the legal age to get a body piercing is 18, unless you have a parent's consent.
Body piercings are not as dangerous as tattoos can be, because if you take the piercing out of the hole, it can always close right back up. It does take some responsibility to care for piercings though because it can lead to infections if not cleaned or taken care of regularly. Those who would go get piercings would hopefully do so in licensed places and make sure everything is medically safe and sanitized. It is not worth the risk that comes with getting one illegally. At a certain age, younger people might do what the trend or fad is at the time, which could be a certain piercing or tattoo, so just getting one for this purpose is not a responsible decision and should require parental consent at this age.
Tattooing is a much dangerous and permanent matter. One must make sure the tattoo parlor is licensed and has been inspected for safety precautions. Tattoos should be something that is thought through, since it is permanent and will stay on your body forever. What someone thought was a great idea when they were younger, might not seem as such a great idea later on in life. It takes responsibility to get a tattoo and should not just be a rash decision.
If done under safe conditions and the person makes a responsible decision, both tattooing and body piercing can have a positive outcome.
Drinking Age Law
Champagne is a common celebratory drink at weddings. You say, "I do" and make toasts to your future happiness. If you fall in love at a young age and decide to get married in the United States, you will not be able to do this custom, while the US has the highest legal drinking age in the world.
When Prohibition was passed in the 1920s, enforcing this law was very difficult for the government and led to a disrespect for the law, growth of organized crime, and development of immoderate consumption patterns. These same tendencies are seen today with the current drinking age law. Having a higher drinking age has forced underage drinking underground, where it cannot be controlled. If teenagers get hurt from alcohol-related accidents, they are less likely to seek medical help for fear of the legal consequences. Lowering the age would allow teens to drink in a better regulated environment with supervision. In certain states parents or guardians are legally allowed to buy their children alcohol, as long as it is from a liquor store, and they are also allowed to serve their children alcohol in some state laws. Although a higher drinking age causes a lower proportion of the population to drink, those that do still, do so abusively.
When Prohibition was passed in the 1920s, enforcing this law was very difficult for the government and led to a disrespect for the law, growth of organized crime, and development of immoderate consumption patterns. These same tendencies are seen today with the current drinking age law. Having a higher drinking age has forced underage drinking underground, where it cannot be controlled. If teenagers get hurt from alcohol-related accidents, they are less likely to seek medical help for fear of the legal consequences. Lowering the age would allow teens to drink in a better regulated environment with supervision. In certain states parents or guardians are legally allowed to buy their children alcohol, as long as it is from a liquor store, and they are also allowed to serve their children alcohol in some state laws. Although a higher drinking age causes a lower proportion of the population to drink, those that do still, do so abusively.
A large number of high school students in the rest of the developed world, where there are lower drinking ages and the enforcement policies are less strict, do considerably better than US students on standardized tests.
Lowering the drinking age makes drinking less of a taboo, taking away the thrill many underage drinkers get from breaking the law or rebelling. This would also allow drinking to be more socially acceptable, would create healthy drinking habits earlier, and overall let young people have much safer drinking experiences.
In the US, at age 18 you are allowed to vote, marry, go to jail, fight and die for your country. Apparently at this age you are not responsible enough to drink.
Lowering the drinking age makes drinking less of a taboo, taking away the thrill many underage drinkers get from breaking the law or rebelling. This would also allow drinking to be more socially acceptable, would create healthy drinking habits earlier, and overall let young people have much safer drinking experiences.
In the US, at age 18 you are allowed to vote, marry, go to jail, fight and die for your country. Apparently at this age you are not responsible enough to drink.
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