Perhaps only in America must high school seniors jump through so many hoops to get liquor. This is best exemplified in Superbad, where a group of seniors ends up with a couple of eccentric police officers, in late-night parties filled with illicit substances, and on a bus with a crazy person who smashes their bottle…
As if America didn’t already have an appalling record on youth rights, the Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wants to raise the voting age to 25 unless 18 to 24-year-olds serve in the military or pass a civics test. Really, Vivek? When there’s a growing movement to lower the voting age to 16 to give…
Observing the United States in the 1830s, the French political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in his Democracy in America that “the position of the Americans is therefore quite exceptional, and it may be believed that no democratic people will ever be placed in one.” Tocqueville was observing the exceptionality of American society, with its…
There is no doubt that many youth rights issues are not well represented to those who have the most resources and abilities to make change on a county, state, or federal level. The issues of drinking and smoking age are no different and I firmly believe that spreading out support over as many districts and…
Growing up in the United States, I never understood the hypocrisy of drinking laws, and by extension drinking culture, in a country known to the world as a beacon of personal freedom. How was it possible that an 18 year old could vote for the president, drive a car, enlist in the army, and own…
In the 1980s, states decided to raise their drinking age to 21. Surprisingly, it wasn’t because of safety, public pressure, or even their own emotions. The main reason states raised the drinking age was because they risked losing 10% of their federal highway funds to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act (NMDAA). The Supreme Court…
While the shocking upset for president is at the forefront of media coverage right now, there were several youth rights issues on the ballot yesterday that should not be forgotten. NYRA is very pleased to announce victories on a ballot measure in Berkeley, California to lower the voting age and a non-binding ballot question to…
I am a long time NYRA member and thanks to my petitioning efforts, next month in Amherst Massachusetts voters will be able to vote on whether or not the drinking age should be lowered to 19 for beer & wine. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 was passed on July 17, 1984. It…
At NYRA, we get emails. Many write to thank us for our work. Some write to share new ideas or to provide thoughtful feedback. And some write to scathe us for supporting the rights of youth. I thought I’d share one we got recently. Bear in mind, none of the “facts” in this email have…
This is part of the Youth Rights 101 series. Please check out Youth Rights 101: Introduction for the rest of the series and more information. Alcohol is dangerous! Why lower the drinking age? Do you actually want kids drinking?! Lowering the drinking age is not about wanting anyone to be drinking nor ignoring any possible…
