SWA 23

Kendall Boothe

April 2, 2012

English 102-11

Essay 4 Outline

Title: What should be done about young adults abusing alcohol?

Thesis: The minimum legal drinking age should not be lowered to 18, but keeping the MLDA at 21 does not solve the problem of binge drinking and alcohol abuse. This issue can be addressed by offering alcohol education to teenagers and young adults.

I.               There has been an ongoing debate on whether the MLDA should be lowered to 18 or stay at 21

A.     Each side has plausible evidence to support their opinion

1.     John McCardell

2.     College personnel

3.     MADD

4.     NHTSA

B.     Both perspectives have evidence to support their beliefs but none of them solve the problem of binge drinking and alcohol abuse within teenagers.

II.             The solution to solve the problem of alcohol abuse and binge drinking is alcohol education.

A.     Despite whether the drinking age is set at 18 or 21; teenagers are still going to drink.

1.     Abusing alcohol

2.     Drinking games

3.     Alcohol poisoning

B.     Alcohol education should start when kids are in 8^th grade.

1.     Show videos

2.     Lectures

3.     Speeches from people who have had serious consequences from alcohol

C.     Alcohol licenses to drink

1.     National exam must pass

2.     Cant legally drink until passed

3.     Have to take it at 18 or older

III.           Offering alcohol education to young adults is the best solution because a law stating the MLDA is not working

A.     Teens will still drink

B.     Need to learn about alcohol and how to drink responsibly

C.     Will handle alcohol much better 

SWA 22

America over the past 20 years has developed a problem with binge drinking and alcohol abuse. Some individuals believe lowering the drinking age will solve this problem but that is not the answer. The minimum legal drinking age should stay at 21 because it keeps teenagers safer on and off the road, but young adults in the U.S should be educated about alcohol and the risks that can come from it.

SWA 21

Paper 3-Deforestation

1.     The issue is trying to find a solution to deforestation because rainforest are disappearing at an alarming rate.

2.     Yes there are four different perspectives. The author writes about the perspectives of local and indigenous people, businesses, medical researchers, and environmentalists. The thesis is clear about what the rest of the paper is going to be about.

3.     The introduction and conclusion are both very well written. The introduction starts out very broad and then funnels down to what the paper is going to focus on. In the conclusion, the author wraps up his thoughts and gives his opinion on the issue. This is the only part of the paper where the author shows opinion, which is good.

4.     I thought this paper was very effective. I wouldn’t have much advice because I think this paper is very well written.

SWA 20 Essay 3 Outline

Title: The Debate of Lowering the Drinking Age

Thesis: The on going debate of whether to lower the legal drinking age or not has two distinct sides. John McCardell, the founder of Choose Responsibility, and individuals involved with college campuses believe the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) should be lowered to 18 while Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believe the MLDA should stay at 21. All four perspectives believe they have valid evidence to support their beliefs.

I.               John McCardell believes lowering the drinking age to 18 would be a good solution to irresponsible drinking.

A.     His organization “Choose Responsibility”

1.     Parents teach children how to drink responsibly

2.     Reduce binge drinking and alcohol abuse

B.     Government need to become more creative in dealing with binge drinking

1.     Alcohol education classes

2.     Alcohol license

     

II.             Individuals that work on college campuses believe from what they have witnessed personally that the MLDA should be lowered to 18

A.     Professor Ruth C. Engs has been doing research on why the drinking age should be lowered for over 20 years.

1.     Statistics

2.     Teach responsible drinking techniques

B.     Police chief of Boulder, Colorado whose police force patrols the University of Colorado at Boulder believes underage drinking is unenforceable

1.     Just giving out drinking tickets; not preventing it

2.     Students abusing alcohol

III.           Mothers Against Drunk Driving use statistics to support their belief of keeping the drinking age at 21

A.     The number of drunk driving related deaths has dropped since the MLDA was raised to 21

B.     Teenage brain is still developing

C.     If the MLDA is lowered than teenagers will start drinking at a younger age

IV.            The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has collected data on why the MLDA should stay at 21

A.     Teen motor vehicle risks

B.     Examines different arguments activists for lowering the drinking age have

Conclusion: From all of my research combined I have learned much more than I thought I knew about the debate on lowering the drinking age. John McCardell, people affiliated with colleges, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration all make valid points and use evidence to back up their claims. When I first chose this topic though, I thought the drinking age should be lowered to 18, but after my thorough research I realized supporters of keeping the MLDA at 21 promote a much better argument than those wanting to lower it. I now believe the drinking age should not be lowered and should stay at 21 years old.

SWA 19

Fell, James C. An Examination of the Criticisms of the Minimum Legal Drinking Age 21 Laws in the United States from a Traffic-Safety Perspective. Washington, D.C.: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2008. Internet resource.

            This source was published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to help prove to the public that keeping the minimum legal drinking age at 21 is the best way to save lives. The author splits the paper up into two sections. Section I of this report presents cases that have been made for lowering the drinking age and examines these arguments. Section II provides detailed information and supporting data on the benefits of MLDA 21 and the extent of teen motor vehicle risks. This report gives the perspective of how a National organization feels about the legal drinking age controversy.

Engs, Ruth C. "Why the drinking age should be lowered: An opinion based upon research.” Drinking on Campus CQ Researcher 20 Mar 1998. Web. 19 Mar 2012

            In this article Professor Engs from Indiana University argues her claim of why the drinking age should be lowered based on her research she has been collecting for over twenty years. Engs makes many valid points to her audience with statistics to support her ideas. The author’s main solution to the problem is to teach responsible drinking techniques for those who chose to consume alcohol.