Posted 1/23/2005 02:02:00 PM by Douglas

For a state legislator, doing nothing is actually worse than doing something remarkably stupid. Enter Rob Eissler. He wants to raise the legal drinking age in Texas from 21 years to 21 years and 7 hours.

To prevent others from binge drinking on their 21st birthdays, state Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, has filed a bill that would delay the celebration a bit.

The bill would make it illegal for someone to drink alcohol at a bar or restaurant before 7 a.m. on his or her 21st birthday. And if your birthday falls on Sunday, you would have to wait until noon.

So, he wants you to drink yourself to death the next day instead?

The "Cinderella bill," as Eissler calls it, is one of three pieces of legislation he has written aimed at reducing binge and underage drinking. Another bill would require Texans purchasing kegs to register with the state. And the third would prohibit bars and restaurants from serving alcoholic beverages with more than half an ounce of pure alcohol in them.

I'm hesitant to say this is the dumbest idea they've had, especially since it's coming so soon after they wanted to put BMI on kid's report cards.

But isn't a 21 year old drinking age ridiculous, anyway? An 18 year old adult can vote, marry, and be executed by the state, yet they're too irresponsible for a beer? Maybe if the state (and the rest of the country) didn't take such a puritanical stance towards alcohol and had a more moderate approach to young people drinking like say, the rest of the developed world, 21 year olds wouldn't go completely ape-shit the first chance they get to have a legal drink.

But specifically in this instance, it's sad that Michael Wagener died of alcohol poisoning. I guess. His story certainly isn't unique, and they're going to be people that die of alcohol poisoning no matter what the drinking age is. But has the Texas Legislature taken it upon themselves to enact a new law every time a dumb aggie kills themselves doing something stupid? They can't make being stupid illegal, so why not just outlaw aggies?