The Drinking Age: who profits? Who pays?
The drinking age is the perfect law for making the rich richer and the poor poorer. Here's a look at the winners and losers.
Winner #1. Makers of fake ID's and related scams
False ID's are big business in the US. By far the most common use is to get people under 21 into the bars. The street price of a fake drivers licence can run from $100 to $200. False ID is also available online, however, many of these false ID sellers are scams. Basically, people under 21 mail cash. The "ID maker" keeps the cash and sends nothing. The ID seeker then has no recourse.
Loser #1: The underage
Most people between the ages of 16 and 21 drink alcohol (although most do not binge drink or get into any trouble). For those that are unlucky enough to get caught, the fines, which vary from state to state, can be as high as $500. Additionaly, many states suspend the driver's licenses of underage drinkers even though the offense did not involve a vehicle. This makes it more difficult for the underage to find employment to work off a hefty fine. Many professional licensing agencies (such as those for nursing and teaching) have been threatening not to licence people convicted of underage drinking. This can mark the end of a career for many college students, which can cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars (based on their expected career length). Some underage drinkers are placed in special programs, for which they must pay several hundred dollars more. Because the fines are so severe, more underage drinkers are getting attorneys. In many cases, the attorney's fees can be in excess of $1000 for a single case. Compare these costs to what the average person gets who is convicted of assault.
College Discipliary officers,and their secreatires and assistants and more assistants and more assistants
All colleges and universities have someone in charge of students "standards." These officers, through a judicial process (ranging from fair to kangaroo court) mete out penalties for violations of student rules. At some Universities 95% of cases are simple underage drinking. Because of the vast number of cases (since most students under 21 do drink on occasion), these offices have grown mightily. If the drinking age was lowered, these officers could be reduced to part time or their staff could be reduced, leaving them unemployed.
The police -- Our town needs more of them
In some communities, police have their hands full trying to prevent and deal with violent crime. In other communites, the primary focus seems to be on underage drinking. Especially in some college towns, the drinking age means more officers are hired to deal with the problem.
Manufacturers of age verification systems
To prevent underage people from entering bars, many bars are purchasing age verification systems. These systems, which employ a magnetic reader and a bar code reader can cost $1300 for a portable unit. Some bars purchase readers that read and record the information on a driver's icence. The purpose of these is to first verify that the person is over 21, and then to collect maketing information. The patron can then expect to be blitzed with ads from alcohol companies.