To the editor:

There are enough rules and regulations concerning alcohol to make the Bible look like a leaflet.

I don’t understand what is going on in the political system when legislation is served up to further restrict those of legal age from getting education and beer at the same time.

What is the problem? It is already illegal for those under the age of 21 to purchase alcohol.

I went to the GSB “Special” session the other night and was infuriated. I didn’t get a chance to talk, though, because the panel seemed to get uneasy and darted for the door as the room heated up. Is there any real need for additional laws concerning alcohol? Is there any way we can make alcohol “Double Secret Illegal?”

I actually sat there and listened to “concerned” legislators rant about the access of alcohol to those living in the dorms who are underage.

Well, duh. I’m pretty sure that most people who are 18 are old enough to deal with alcohol. All of our parents were 18 when they started to drink, and they managed to survive to screw up the world for their children.

State Rep. Rosemary Thomson, the genius who wasted trees on this whole thing, spoke about safety on campus and that 90-some percent of problems/violence on campus were alcohol-related.

Just a quick note, Rose: Uh, this is probably one of the safest campuses on the planet. Furthermore, we happen to be in Iowa, not south-central Los Angeles.ÿ

The legislators really liked to tell us that legislation is a “we talk, they listen” process. But most of the time they either dodged serious questions, looked dumb or provided prepared responses to questions. Is it not enough that we can’t drink till we’re 21?ÿ

When are we finally recognized by our parents’ generation as adults? At 18, 21, 33, 63, 90, dead? They can only hide behind the “concerned parent” platform for so long. After all, most of us are adults. We are old enough to create children but we can’t have a drink. Which is the bigger responsibility?

Let’s face it, you can send dopers to prison — maximum security prison even — and they can still get the drugs of their choice. Even if they lock the dorms down tight with extra security measures like Maple Hall, people can and will devise a method for smuggling alcohol into their rooms.

Now, I’m not in favor of turning ISU dorms into prisons, but that’s what they’re headed for. Simply put, this bill is ludicrous. I was a big opponent to supporting dry Veishea because I saw this crap coming. Now it’s here, and I seriously doubt anything will stop it.

I don’t advocate underage drinking, but what they have in mind is unreasonable. No matter what kind of bill they pass, I seriously doubt things will change. The dorms are already supposed to be alcohol free for underage persons.

The law is the law. If you don’t enforce the law, well, tough. The law is airtight already. The enforcement of that law is not so airtight. It never will be, no matter what. It’s illegal to kill people, too, but people are killed everyday.

Thomson told us that a new alcohol-free dorm was opened this fall and had only 500 beds. The problem was that 1600 people or so applied to live there.ÿShe saw that as a demand for alcohol-free dorms.ÿ

Actually, I’m quite sure she was referring to Maple Hall. As many of you know, Maple Hall is based on apartment-style dorms. So, it probably had little to do with alcohol, because I’m sure someone reading this is saying, “We got drunk in Maple just the other night.”

Furthermore, her supporting facts and figures dealt almost exclusively with greek-related drinking. If that’s not enough, they’re all figures from some other state. Forget polling the three universities here in Iowa; we’ll just punish them for what someone else does.

Iowa State is not perfect as far as alcohol, but Veishea was a big chunk of crap for us to swallow already.ÿ

Now this. I think ISU students have lead the way when it comes to dealing with alcohol.

Now, we can’t lead anything. We just have to follow in the wake of ambitious legislators looking to inflate their political egos.ÿ

If ISU students choose to ban alcohol because it is making us look bad, let us make that decision, and leave your big government in Des Moines or Marion where it can rot.

ISU students are capable of determining our own future. We’re adults and can take care of ourselves, Rose.

James Primrose

Sophomore

Computer science