America: land of the free. However, every freedom has some sort of rules, a kind of discipline, some form of order. One of these rules is that no American can legally drink any alcoholic beverage, or anything containing alcohol, for that matter, until the age of 21. Another, in my town, is that no one can legally be outside of their home or someone else’s home after 11 P.M. until they reach the age of 17. But as we all know, some rules are unfair, unjust, or just do not make sense at all. These laws do have a purpose—a very good one in fact—but they should be changed if this country continues to pride itself on being free. This country may be free, but only if you’re an adult, and that’s a problem that needs to be fixed. One of the reasons that some laws are unjust is because of the way the world is viewed by the people who run it. Instead of trying to make things the way they should be, they make things they way that will bring them more money, or more votes.

The legal drinking age of 21 is one law that needs rethinking. Believe it or not, the vast majority of underage drinkers have more sense than any adult would ever think. The point is we are not hurting anybody by just having a good time with a couple of drinks, yet even if we never leave the house, it is still a crime. What is the reason for this, do you ask? So the police have another reason to give out tickets and make you give them more money.

Call it injustice, call it capitalism, call it greed, call it what you wish, but ultimately it’s wrong, and it goes against what this country was based on: freedom.

The next law born from ignorance is the all-too-controversial curfew law. This law states simply that no minor may be out in public without adult supervision. This law is no less ridiculous than requiring a walking license. Under this law, I can be ticketed for sitting on my front porch at midnight, unless my mother is out there with me. That is, until the day I turn 17. I admit that I almost never follow the curfew law .... If me and my friends get hungry at 11:30 at night, we should have the right to go get some food without having to wake up our parents. Another example is this: I’ve been to about seven local concerts, each of which costs me close to $10. Out of those seven shows, I’ve only actually seen the band play twice, and those two times were only because my band was also playing that show (my band playing counts as a job, so I’m immune to curfew on those nights only).

Studies have shown that curfew laws do not lower the percentage of teen crime, nor do they lower the rate of teen deaths. Curfew laws have done nothing to benefit the community. The real crime is in a person’s actions, not in how late they stay out. Not only that, but curfew laws are unconstitutional. Some have already been found to be unconstitutional by the courts. If it’s unconstitutional in one city, it should be unconstitutional throughout the entire country. (Ed's Note: A determination of unconstitutionality in one city does not by itself establish  that it should be unconstitutionality throughout the nation.  However, the author is correct in asserting anti-youth laws like curfews should be taken up by the Supreme Court and struck down, which they have unfortunately yet to do.) The curfew laws have created more problems than they have solved (which would be none), and they also violate the contract signed by our founding fathers from which this country was built.

So who has the authority to break that agreement? Nobody, because none of those people are still alive to give their consent, so what is on paper should remain forever. A contract that important should never be considered null and void. However, this country has been violating every rule ever set in place for years, and they are continuing this with these unconstitutional curfew laws.

Finally, another mindless restriction is the legal working age of 16. It shouldn’t be considered child labor if the child is willing to work (rather than forced). Take me, for example. I’ve been in a band since I was in fifth grade, and being in a band costs a lot of money. You have to pay for equipment, amplifiers, microphones, P.A. systems, studio time, etc. All that stuff costs a lot of money—a lot of money that our parents couldn’t always provide. So ever since I was 11, I’ve had to make do with the $90 amplifier and $200 guitar that my parents could barely afford, as opposed to the $1,650 amplifier and the $900 guitar I’ve bought myself since I turned 16. We could never afford studio time until about a year ago (normally studio time is $45 an hour, and one song can take up to 3 hours to finish). So because of these labor laws, we’re just now coming out with our CD that should’ve come out years ago.

Job choice should also be about who can do the job better. At the age of 12, I was more responsible than a lot of 18 year olds I know now, and I’m sure I could learn to flip a burger or sweep a floor just as easily as they could, if not easier. Young people should have the same right to work and make money as anyone else.

The point of this essay is to persuade whoever reads it to join with those who seek unity, in any form. Whether you want to believe it or not, age restrictions are another form of prejudice, no different from racism, sexism, or homophobia. Saying that a minor cannot be out past 11 o’clock at night is just as wrong as, say, restricting women from watching R-rated movies. I know that this essay will probably be ignored or discarded, just like everything else that doesn’t agree with other people’s beliefs, but I feel it’s my duty as a minor to share the thoughts that everyone under 21 thinks but is afraid to express.