7 children and teens died every day from guns.

[DooWopper 0]

kallend

***>600,050 people are killed by lightning strikes and heart disease every year in the US.

That's nothing! 570,001 people are killed by cancer and Ebola every year in the US! And they tell us not to panic over Ebola. Idiots.

Meh! 2,515,458 deaths from ebola and other causes just last year.

"I can never be defeated!"
- Napoleon, June 17th, 1815, Waterloo, Netherlands

"Hurrah boys, we've got them! We'll finish them up and then go home to our station."
- Gen. George Armstrong Custer, June 24th, 1876

"My good friends this is the second time in our history that there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace with honor. I believe it is peace in our time."
- Neville Chamberlain, Sept. 30th, 1938

"The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor? Nonsense!"
- Cordell Hull, Washington, D.C., December 6th, 1944

"We shouldn't worry about atomic bombs, no one has ever been killed by an atomic bomb."
- Michihiko Hachiya, Hiroshima, Japan, August 5th, 1945

Nah, ebola is nothing to worry about. It has no potential to harm we Americans! We're too smart for that!

[billvon 2,998]

"The only thing we have to fear is Ebola itself" - some famous guy

Time spent on Ebola on recent San Diego newscast - 2:30
Time spent on San Diego meningitis death on recent San Diego newscast - :15

Number of people in San Diego exposed to meningitis - ~400
Number of people in San Diego exposed to Ebola - ~0

Number of people killed by Ebola every year in the US - 1 (average over 10 years:0)
Number of people killed by meningitis per year in the US - ~500 (average over 10 years:500)

Ease of transmission of Ebola: low
Ease of transmission of meningitis: moderate

US fatality rate for meningitis - 9-40% depending on type and age
US fatality rate for Ebola - 14%

[ibx 2]

Quote

No question the US system has a vengeance element. But I asked you specifically about German's free wheeling alcohol strategy, not to rehash your ax about America. If you don't believe teens are mature, then why the fuck are you giving them beer, a substance known world wide to cause problems with judgment? Are 19yo DUIs coddled? Or ones that start beating up minorities outside of a bar?

Even though Christelsabine doesn't like it ;-) I will answer your question because I believe in cultural exchange.


First of all only low percent alcohol is legal for 16 year olds, that is beer and wine.
You must understand that beer is an integral part of German culture. Nobody bats an eye if you drink a Mas(1liter) for lunch in Munich and go to work afterwards. There is also a traditional breakfast(Weisswurst) which comes with a Mas and is had often. This is special for Bavaria though.

All other parts of Germany have their local beers. (Koelsch, Cologne; Alt, Duesseldorf... to name a few.)

Since beer is so central to German culture and German policy makers live the real world the know that making alcohol illegal works about as well as abstinence education for teenagers. They would find a way to get alcohol(paying bums to buy it, fake ID's you know that better than I do). They make it legal at a relatively early age. This ensures that the first contact with alcohol is usually under supervision and there nothing verboten so the urge to binge drink is lower since alcohol readily available.