http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/718496.html

Quote :

" From staff reports An Orange County community group is one of two nationwide to be awarded a $100,000 grant to curb teen drinking. The Coalition for Alcohol & Drug Free Teenagers of Chapel Hill and Carrboro will use the money to fund targeted enforcement of underage drinking laws by local authorities for one year. The group will also launch a prevention campaign with help from federal officials to target teen drinkers and the adults who buy them alcohol. Nearly 47 percent of high school students in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district had drank alcohol at least once in the past month in a 2005 federal survey. These findings are similar to those statewide. "Underage drinking short circuits our children's ability to reach their full potential and ruins many bright futures," First Lady Mary Easley said in a news release announcing the grant. Easley recently launched a statewide campaign against teen drinking. The coalition is funded in party by the N.C. Preventing Underage Drinking Initiative through the state Department of Health and Human Services."

9/27/2007 9:06:56 PM

It's government, what do you expect?

9/27/2007 9:40:04 PM

Be happy.

It's only $100,000.

9/27/2007 10:03:07 PM

The Pentagon's Budget is $500 BILLION dollars this year, excluding other war-related cash.

That makes the Pentagon itself the 16th largest economy in the WORLD, beating out the Netherlands.

$100k is a pittance compared to the rest of the money the gov. throws away.

9/27/2007 10:12:29 PM

Well its really $200,000 if you factor the other community group.

9/27/2007 10:37:26 PM

200K?

bah.

that'll buy you 2 minutes in Iraq.

9/28/2007 1:56:52 AM

Quote :

"$100k is a pittance compared to the rest of the money the gov. throws away."

You can still reduce pork barrel spending doing it $100K at a time. I never did like the argument that would have someone ignore a problem because there is a much bigger problem elsewhere. A fix is a fix.

Personally I thought all the money they are spending on studies on how to improve traffic on Capital Boulevard is a waste when you consider that during the period of the study they zoned out more land for a dozen or so businesses to go up... on Capital Boulevard.

Why is traffic so bad?
Hey, we gotta put in a few more lights for that massive shopping center that went up across from Triangle Town Center.
Done.
Now let's get back to why traffic on Capital is so bad.

9/28/2007 8:09:59 AM

still though why the fuck spend 100K to stop underage drinking.

why not use the money to

-stop drinking and driving (b.c we all know that ONLY people <21 are the ones that drink and drive )
- help rehabilitate people with actual alcohol problems
-stop crack dealers

Underaged drinking is another one of those "distraction issues." A topic of political discussion that does not really hurt or cause problems in society but politicians use them to distract attention away from real issues.

Quote :

"Underage drinking short circuits our children's ability to reach their full potential and ruins many bright futures," First Lady Mary Easley"

Alcohol fucks up the "futures" of more of age adults then under age college kids or even the highschool kids. The 40 yr old that gets drunk everynight at the bar then goes home to beat his wife and kids or hits someone driving home drunk are the ones fucking up. I do not think kids having a few cold ones on the weekend will ruin their chance in society. I fucking hate mike easley for multiple reason and this political hogwash is added to the list.

What losers are actually apart of "The Coalition for Alcohol & Drug Free Teenagers." I guess they are band geeks or just got mad for being losers and not invited to the last keg party.

here's another example of a distraction issue

Quote :

"RALEIGH - Two Texas Hold 'em poker tournaments in the Triangle this month each attracted dozens of players hoping to win a big prize. Both events had at least one world-class poker player on hand. And both were in violation of North Carolina's gambling laws, according to the head of the state's Alcohol Law Enforcement agency, which enforces them. ...... According to North Carolina law, any person who operates a game of chance or who bets on a game of chance involving cash, property or anything of value is guilty of a misdemeanor. But society's embrace of poker -- on TV and for recreation and charity fundraisers -- coupled with the inconsistent enforcement of state gambling laws, makes it difficult to know what's good, clean fun and what's going to bring down the law."

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/719095.html

Remember boys and girls NC is just looking after your well being making sure you do not lose any of your hard earned money gambling. After all you are not doing your part to help NC through paying sales tax on alcohol, big screen TV's, or lottery tickets if you are losing your money having fun playing poker.

I love my freedoms but it is good that NC and federal gov't ensure I abstain from any actions to hurt myself

[Edited on September 28, 2007 at 12:05 PM. Reason : l]

9/28/2007 11:59:11 AM

Wasn't Orange County where they also spent like a mil+ on some kind of "public art" project in tribute to bus drivers, and no one understood wtf it was?

I vaguely remember hearing something about that somewhere recently...

9/28/2007 12:08:38 PM

and liberals want bigger government and more spending

9/28/2007 12:10:43 PM

and the "conservatives" think of themselves as a bunch of do-gooders and should be the morale compass of society.

9/28/2007 12:22:38 PM

Quote :

""Underage drinking short circuits our children's ability to reach their full potential and ruins many bright futures," First Lady Mary Easley said in a news release announcing the grant."

there's no bright future for me unless i can get crunk every weekend and relieve some stress. not like theres anything else to do in the triangle area on a friday/saturday night that doesn't involve alcohol.

9/28/2007 12:28:17 PM

Quote :

"there's no bright future for me unless i can get crunk every weekend and relieve some stress. not like theres anything else to do in the triangle area on a friday/saturday night that doesn't involve alcohol."

I am not saying there is not something else to do. This does still not excuse the false logic and demonization of something as stupid as a few kids having drinks on a friday night when there are much bigger issues in our society. If nothing else for the high school crowd; parents should be holding the kids accountable and paying attention to what lil johnny is doing. The only reason I think police should be involved is if they are doing something to harm the public good for example drinking and driving, getting drunk then going out to destroying property, or sexually assaulting a female to give a few examples. A switch does not magically switch when someone turns 21 that makes everyone "responsible" drinkers.

I attended a high school keg party my senior year. Right after I left the cops raided the house and gave everyone a drinking ticket. The kids though were lighting off fireworks and one hit a neighbors house. They were acting stupid so they deserved to have the cops come.

[Edited on September 28, 2007 at 12:46 PM. Reason : ;]

9/28/2007 12:44:25 PM

My sister got a drinking ticket once just for being at a field party. It got thrown out in court (no 90/96 just thrown straight out) but she had to get an attorney.

9/28/2007 2:10:43 PM

Quote :

"and liberals want bigger government and more spending "

Quote :

"and the "conservatives" think of themselves as a bunch of do-gooders and should be the morale compass of society."

Meh. I'd rather see a heavy hand on enforcing an underage drinking law than a 70% tax rate on a severely devalued dollar.

9/28/2007 3:06:55 PM

Thank god I was not old enough to work from 1992-2000. 70% tax rate would have been shitty.

9/28/2007 3:28:23 PM

Quote :

"TGDWasn't Orange County where they also spent like a mil+ on some kind of "public art" project in tribute to bus drivers, and no one understood wtf it was?"

Yeah, TGD is one to talk about wasting "tax" dollars when he approved the ridiculous budget of that LGBT center... Shit, $100,000 is a drop in the bucket next to what you proposed.

9/28/2007 9:32:08 PM

you're off by several orders of magnitude for wasted tax dollars

10/1/2007 5:08:51 PM

Why do fags need $$$$ in order to sit around and discuss gay issues. I have the same feeling towards the already created "african american" center in Wintherspoon.

Soon the asian community will want a asian center
the mexicans a mexicans center
we might as well make a straight center for all the straight students to discuss shit

10/1/2007 6:16:12 PM

10/1/2007 6:17:23 PM

^^ TGD needs something on his record for when he's running for office somewhere to show that he's friendly to teh gays.

10/1/2007 6:52:25 PM

he won't get elected anywhere else. He has the spine of a jellyfish.

10/1/2007 7:36:29 PM

At the very least, i'm sure us TWWers could come back and haunt him from his record here

10/1/2007 7:45:14 PM

doesnt $100,000 buy you part of a smart missle?

10/1/2007 9:58:38 PM

If we catch a kid drinking, we should use the $100K to buy him a ticket to the Randy Parton Theater.

10/1/2007 10:09:37 PM

make love not war

10/2/2007 10:13:09 AM

Quote :

"Nearly 47 percent of high school students in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district had drank alcohol at least once in the past month in a 2005 federal survey. These findings are similar to those statewide. "Underage drinking short circuits our children's ability to reach their full potential and ruins many bright futures," First Lady Mary Easley said in a news release announcing the grant."

so we can expect 47% of them to utterly fail?

10/2/2007 2:18:21 PM

The US should send aid to the UK, Caribbean, France, and all the other places where an even higher percentage of teens drink than here in the US.

10/2/2007 2:57:54 PM

oh shit that drank i had when i was 17 short circuited my brain!!!!

I guess I will have to settle for a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from NCSU. who knows if I had good role models that kept me from drinking I could have ended up getting my PH.D and then win the Nobel Peace Prize for building a device that detects what houses kids are underage drinking so the police can bust in w/o actually seeing anyone from the outside.

Give a fucking break Mrs. Easley. Maybe Mike needs to give you the p33n more often.

You could argue that World of Warcraft has hindered many kids futures. Instead of studying their textbooks they are busy working on getting the latest level 60 archmage character and 1000 gold. WoW should thus be banned also.



[Edited on October 2, 2007 at 3:31 PM. Reason : l]

10/2/2007 3:29:32 PM