Pinheads in the Ivory Tower

If ever you needed proof positive (in fact, I'd say this idea is about 80 proof - ha ha) that the Peter Principle is in good working order, check this out:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/19/20080819drinking-age0819.html .

The Peter Principle, of course, states that people will often rise to their highest level of incompetence. Well, I'd say a lot of college presidents fit that bill.

Yes, drinking on college campuses has reached epidemic proportions. Then why is the solution, according to these academics, to make booze MORE easily available? Isn't that how we got into this mess in the first place?

Now I understand that Prohibition was a failure and I guess these presidents are thinking that we should at least get the problem out in the open. But what I guess they don't know is that is ALREADY IS IN THE OPEN!

I had the chance to go to a football game at a huge midwestern university a few years back. In fact, it's one of the schools whose president advocates this strategy. The stadium seats 100,000 people or so, but there were easily twice that many outside before the game and most of them were having a beer or twenty.

I can tell you from personal observation that more than a handful of this throng was under the age of 21 and partaking of Mr. Anheuser's, Mr. Busch's, Mr. Miller's and Mr. Coors' finest products. Not to mention demon rum and a bit of Jose for good measure.

If the kids are flaunting the law, well, change the law! That'll do it! While we're at it, let's loosen up the laws on prostitution. After all, kids are having sex all over campus, why shouldn't some of them make money to pay for their outrageous textbook and tuition costs? Theft? THAT's a huge campus problem. It's hard to control, too. Make it legal, that way nobody will have to report these petty crimes like ripping off bikes or swiping a purse. Then the cops will be able to spend time chasing really bad criminals. Heck, everyone cheats. There's a whole industry based on buying term papers online. Schools presidents must know this, so why not condone or even endorse it?

Ridiculous, you say? Of course it is, but no more ridiculous than calling on the nation to lower the drinking age to 18 because adults who ostensibly operate these universities (many of them public) can't bring themselves to tell the students NO.

Here's a novel idea: Either get the cops to really crack down on these boozers (admittedly a tall order) or, do what colleges love to do in regards to guns - make the school an "alcohol-free zone." Hey, if it's good for firearms, why can't it be good for booze? Enforce the same penalties for alcohol possession that exist for weapons. Too extreme? O.K., but find something to do and really enforce it. There are large universities that do this very thing today. But, sshhhhh... they're religious in nature and we can't be nuts like them.... Yeah, well try it. You may like it.

Of course, the problem with that is at some point, the schools would lose a lot of students and the money they bring in. All you'd have left are the ones who want to learn and get a degree.

And we all know most universities gave up the mission of providing a quality undergrad education a long time ago to pursue the almighty grail of research and the money it brings...