FEDS' STRINGS TIE KNOTS IN DRINKING AGE

Boy, did August A. Busch III, chairman of Anheuser-Busch Cos., get a tongue-lashing for suggesting states consider lowering the drinking age, which has been 21 across the nation for at least a dozen years.

Busch was speaking at a beer-industry event in New Orleans when he said, "Bottom line: Instead of pretending that prohibition on college campuses is realistic, we should be investing in helping those young people learn to make healthy and responsible choices."

He went on to say that part of the problem with excessive drinking on college campuses is the students are split between the over-21 and not-yet-legal sets. Therefore, the latter group takes its drinking off campus.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving were first out of the gate to say they were appalled. Not surprising, because many have lost children to drunken driving and drunken drivers. Their feelings are understandable.

But let's think for a minute.

Does anybody really believe that college students under 21 aren't drinking? Some college seniors have cottage industries buying beer for their underage pals.

And if the under-21 set isn't getting beer on campus, it's driving somewhere else to get it. And then they're driving back to campus.

Another point. Our 18-year-olds can get married without parental permission. That's a major life decision.

But they can't buy a beer.

Our 18-year-olds can die in a military conflict. They can vote for our next president.

But they can't buy a glass of wine.

It's not too popular to say such things about alcohol in our all too politically correct society. In fact, the federal government has shown it will strong-arm states into political correctness.

Take the threat to yank a portion of Missouri's federal highway funding if the Legislature doesn't lower the blood alcohol content limit to 0.08 percent from 0.1 percent.

Imagine what would happen at the federal level if Missouri and other states lowered the drinking age.

Nobody wants drunks on the road. But that's a decision states can make without coercion from the federal government through strings attached to highway funding.