If a 17-year-old wants to drink, he will find a way. If a 20-year-old wants to get into a 21 and over bar, she will find a way. It is the nature of underage drinking. We cannot stop it, only monitor and enforce punishment for offenders.

For this reason, we stand against the second attempt in two years to change the bar entry age in Illinois to 21 and over.

Obviously, when 19-year-olds enter bars now, they have to find someone of age who is willing to take the chance and buy a drink illegally. Though it is common, bars offer bouncers and patrols by police officers to stop such transactions. Bartenders are not allowed to serve minors either.

Contrast the likelihood of drinking in such an environment compared to the alternative of house parties, where cups are sold to anyone, no matter how young.

If the activity on the weekend is going to be drinking, underage people are less likely to do it at a bar than anywhere else. Even the most brazen minors grow nervous of the whopping $250 pay-by-mail citation.

If the law is passed and Carbondale bars go from 19 to 21, we foresee a number of inevitable problems.

First, students will opt for house parties if bars are out of the question. Anyone who has attended such a party can attest that fights rage with little intervention, the ease of binge drinking increases with the flat cup fee and students are endangered by entering overcrowded houses with few exits and too many people.

Rarely are the police able to intervene with house parties for reasons other than noise complaints unless an underage plant is commissioned to enter and purchase a cup - but those throwing the parties are wising up.

Also, Carbondale has become known for the high number of musical groups that travel and play at local bars. Drinking aside, those who wish to see a jam band at Hangar 9 or hear any number of excellent cover bands at Copper Dragon should not be stopped because they are not yet 21.

Finally, blocking out a large chunk of bar-goers will cause irreparable harm to Carbondale bars, which are a solid source of city income from taxes, liquor licenses and even the underage tickets issued within their walls. Truthfully, part of Southern's appeal is in the bars, which have become recognizable as traditions for generations of Salukis.

So the choice remains: Should underage drinkers be allowed into bars, where they may acquire alcohol but will eventually be caught, or keep them out of a regulated environment and force them into house parties? The answer seems obvious.