Act 199 does not serve its intended purpose

In an effort to continue to provide this information to the readers, the News Division began running listings of drink specials and happy hours at the local bars. But state officials contacted the owners of each of those establishments and told them they could be violating Act 199 by participating in the listings.

If the fact that the state government is successfully restricting free speech isn't enough to anger you, then you should be angry knowing that when you pick up a newspaper such as the Collegian, you will no longer be able to find out where to find the cheapest beer in town.

I applaud that movement, and the Collegian has continuously supported the efforts of the University and the surrounding community to offer more alcohol-free activities to students, specifically HUB Late Night.

However, Act 199 is not an appropriate channel to take in order to reduce binge and underage drinking. It does not accomplish either of those two goals; it only serves to accomplish the restriction of free speech.

And that is a very dangerous precedent to set.

Any time censorship or a restriction on free speech occurs, it sets a standard and you don't know what will be censored or restricted next.

This most recent attack on free speech, disguised as a "feel good" method of controlling alcohol consumption, is just plain silly.

Think about this logically -- if you are under the age of 21, it really doesn't matter what information bars put into advertisements because you're not getting into them. My experience with the bars at State College has been that, generally speaking, you're more likely to see free parking for students than underage drinkers in a bar.

My friend has a duplicate driver's license because her original was stolen. She has to show three forms of backup identification before she's allowed through the doors of any State College bar.

Obviously, this is a good thing. But it just proves the point that alcohol advertising for bars can't promote underage drinking because underage drinkers cannot go to the bars.

And as far as binge drinking is concerned, I see that happening less in bars than anywhere else in State College where drinking occurs. And there's a reason for that -- it's called being cut off.

Most bartenders and waitstaff are trained to know when a customer has had enough.

On my best friend's 21st birthday, anywhere we went, the doorman alerted all of the bartenders to the fact that it was her birthday.

And it wasn't to congratulate her on this milestone; it was so they would know to keep an eye on her and prevent her from going overboard (as some people tend to do on their 21st birthdays).

Let me make one thing clear here -- there is absolutely, positively nothing wrong with someone of legal drinking age walking into a bar and ordering a drink. Of course, it would seem that state lawmakers and others want you to think that there is.

But really, there isn't; I promise. If you are 21 or older, it is legal for you to consume alcohol -- surprise! And there is no reason why information in advertisement should be restricted to you.

Write to state legislators and let them know what you think about Act 199. Write to The Daily Collegian in the form of a letter to the editor and tell us what you think about it.

Write to University administrators and urge them to support free speech rights.

Don't let anyone tell you what you should be "allowed" to read just because you're a college student. And keep watching -- the fight to protect free speech isn't over yet.