Looking at alcohol sales

I have not had much to say over the last week.
Now things have changed and I have plenty on different topics,but I want to go away from sports tonight.

I don't drink.
Not because of any deep religious conviction,most of you that know me know of my thoughts in that area,but because I choose to spend my money (limited as it is) on my hobbies and frankly.it just does not taste good to me.

I don't look down on people that do drink alcohol,it is their business and if it doesn't infringe on me,what's the harm?
Well,nothing when done by responsible adults,but an incident with a person that I have never met has made me think about things a bit.

This person was doing nothing before being almost ran over by a car and then the driver stopped the vehicle and beat him into submission,sending him to the hospital with a severe head injury that has left him in intensive care.
The alleged aggressor?Well,he had left a local bar,drunk and underage.
Fake Id's have always been around,but it seems like despite all the commercials in the media,is a problem that is worsening.

Prohibition did not work and I am not proposing a return for the failed policy,but perhaps the time has come for more ideas that would make it even tougher for underage persons to be able to acquire alcohol.
Stronger penalties for establishments that either intentionally or unintentionally serve minors are a must and perhaps losses of licenses might be the only deterrent to begin to deal with this problem.

These issues are complicated ones and I do not claim to have the answers,but perhaps the time has come for an adult discussion on alcohol that deals with making sure that people that drink are mature enough to handle those spirits and handing out severe sanctions for those that put making money above the safety of others,whether it is drunk driving,alcohol-fueled violence or just plain over-serving.

I am not standing on a soapbox screaming at alcohol,but I am screaming about our society handling these things better and I do believe that this needs to be addressed by more than a commercial PR campaign before we lose countless lives to irresponsibilty.
If the people cannot handle this correctly,then steps need to taken to help them in the right direction.

Call me what you wish,but this needs to be dealt with and with speed.....

Back later with the charging Pittsburgh Pirates and more from my latest recharging of the batteries...