LET STATES DECIDE ABOUT BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVELS

Lowering the legal limit for blood-alcohol content among Missouri's motorists probably makes good sense. A lot of people whose jobs are to be informed about such matters, including Cape Girardeau's police chief and the county prosecutor, say lowering the limit to 0.08 percent from the current 0.10 percent would be a good move.

President Clinton thinks so too. But his effort and that of a 62-35 majority in the U.S. Senate to force 35 states to adopt that standard by taking away highway funds if they don't comply is yet another example of federal intervention into affairs best left to states to decide.

While U.S. Sen. Christopher Bond of Missouri favors the plan, the other Missouri senator, John Ashcroft, opposes it because of his strong belief in a state's ability to make better laws for its citizens than the federal government.

The proposal has a long ways to go, and it can be hoped the forces of Big Government can be checked before it's too late.