Wasted in Wisconsin?

The New York Times has a report today on alcohol abuse in Wisconsin:

When a 15-year-old comes into Wile-e's bar looking for a cold beer, the bartender, Mike Whaley, is happy to serve it up - as long as a parent is there to give permission.

"If they're 15, 16, 17, it's fine if they want to sit down and have a few beers," said Mr. Whaley, who owns the tavern in this small town in southern Wisconsin.

While it might raise some eyebrows in most of America, it is perfectly legal in Wisconsin. Minors can drink alcohol in a bar or restaurant in Wisconsin if they are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who gives consent. While there is no state law setting a minimum age, bartenders can use their discretion in deciding whom to serve.

When it comes to drinking, it seems, no state keeps pace with Wisconsin. This state, long famous for its breweries, has led the nation in binge drinking in every year since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began its surveys on the problem more than a decade ago. Binge drinking is defined as five drinks in a sitting for a man, four for a woman.

People in Wisconsin are more likely than anywhere else to drive drunk, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The state has among the highest incidence of drunken driving deaths in the United States.

A few thoughts (that I hope aren't colored by my bias as a native Wisconsinite):

1. Most states allow exceptions for underage drinking with a parent. See this map created by the Alcohol Policy Information System (details about these exceptions may be found here):

Does drinking with the permission of a parent really "raise some eyebrows in most of America"?

2. In 2007 Wisconsin ranked 7th in alcohol consumption per capita, but ranked 19th among all states in alcohol-related traffic fatalities per capita in 2004 (I'm not cherry-picking, just using the latest figures I can find for each statistic). Is it fair to say that Wisconsin has "among the highest incidence of drunken driving deaths in the United States"?

3. These are good laws. I don't know whether they lead to more responsible alcohol consumption, but who would want to live under the yoke of a state where it's illegal for a 19 year-old to drink a beer with his father while watching a football game?

4. What's up with the guy drinking a Bud Light in the accompanying photo to the Times's story? A true Wisconsinite would be drinking Miller, Leinenkugel's, or New Glarus.