[John Kilduff]

[ QUOTE ]
We can always find incidents of people acting irrationally over a gambling problem. But we're talking about hundreds of thousands of automobile deaths caused by alcohol.

I'm not saying that we ought, therefore, to make alcohol illegal. (We tried that once.) I am saying reasonable regulation, not because I don't like you drinking alcohol, but for reasons of public safety, seems prudent.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think that is a reasonable and sound argument.

To me the offsetting factor to be weighed is whether or not the costs of enforcement along with giving up that much personal sovereignty to the government, are worth it for the trade-off.

I'm not sure on the answer to that question as I value personal sovereignty very highly, and probably do not view statistical savings of lives as highly as most people would (in part because I think we are already overpopulated).

I don't have a fully defined and firmly established position yet on the specific matter addressed in this thread, but I do think you have at least a valid and strong argument since alcohol-related automobile deaths are so numerous. Therefore it would take a strong argument to counter it.