CDC STUDY SHOWS MORE TAXES ON BEER WOULD CUT STDs IN TEENS; FINDINGS ARE QUESTIONABLE

It's hard to come up with good reasons to raise taxes, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has done its darndest.

The CDC released a report recently that says there is a relationship between cheap beer and sexually transmitted diseases. Here's what the study found:

Cheap beer is consumed by youths whose allowances apparently only allow so much for entertainment. Drinking beer makes these youths careless about sex. Drunk teens are more likely to have sex without protection. They wind up with STDs.

But, the report says, raising the tax on beer would make it more expensive. Teens looking for a cheap date would be less inclined to buy beer. And, the reasoning goes, sober teens are more likely to use protection when engaged in sexual activity.

There you have it. Taxes prevent STDs.

Lobbyists for the beer industry scoff at the findings of the report. Beer makers, they say, are spending huge sums of money to educate young people about responsible drinking and responsible choices.

It's easy to side with the lobbyists on this one. Here's why: When it comes to teens, it's hormones, not beer, that influence most decisions. Teens who have been instilled with good values and decision-making skills won't have unsafe sex. Nor will they get drunk on cheap beer.