UW-L's Chergosky on when La Crosse wanted to change the drinking age because of a drunken Oktoberfest

The year the city of La Crosse wanted to change the drinking age for a weekend.  That was one of three topics discussed with UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky. We also hit on taxpayer money for state lawmaker home and personal security — a reaction from the Charlie Kirk assassination. Lastly, we talked about how huge La Crosse’s Maple Leaf Parade is, compared to the rest of the U.S. But first, the year 1966 and a rowdy Oktoberfest weekend — that included a phrase we use now, “outside agitators.” The solution to a drunken Oktoberfest that year in La Crosse from city leaders was to change the drinking age from 18 to 21 for the event the next year. What they did, though, turned out to be a much worse idea. After that, we dove into politics and how Wisconsin state government is discussing handling security for lawmakers after the Charlie Kirk assassination. We discuss how both state and federal lawmakers are looking for taxpayer money for personal and home security. We argue how and who should be eligible for such funding. Lastly, with an estimated 100,000-120,000 headed to La Crosse for Saturday’s Maple Leaf Parade, we compare it to others across the country, like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York City. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.