"The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools."
-- Herbert Spencer

Last month, the Wausau City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that gives their cops the authority to fine someone up to $5,000 for hosting "underage" parties. The deputy chief explained that they are just trying to address "underaged drinking." Journalists in Wausau reported on the change but none asked questions about the impact on the adult Wausau citizens who are considered "underage."

This was universally presented as an issue involving parents and their teenage children living at home. The age of majority in Wisconsin is 18, not 21. Kids through age 17 are minors. Government bureaucrats came up with special rules for young adults that treat them as children. And, apparently in fear of government sanctions, many businesses in this area demand to see photo identification to buy an adult beverage, even by adults as old as I am. So, even senior citizens can be treated like children. Why do people put up with it?

College students, married couples with children, Iraq combat veterans, and working, voting citizens are among some of the many "underaged" adults discriminated against by the state of Wisconsin. Wausau cranks up the nanny state by going after people hosting house parties. House parties for minors, supervised by parents -- keeping drunks off the streets -- are none of the city's business if no one gets hurt. House parties by and for young adults are also none of the city's business. Are they looking for trouble?

Stevens Point and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point have formed a big task force to "combat problem drinking." They just "want to improve the campus and community approach to drinking." That's nice. Where does that appear in their job descriptions?

University students come to campus as adults after 18 years under the care and teaching of their parents and 12 years of health education in the schools. They should have learned how make adult choices and be ready to deal with consequences. Now is the time for them to make choices for themselves. Then they discover that university busybodies have made choices for them -- on smoking and drinking, for example. Give me a break. The university has plenty of serious issues to deal with besides what adult students do on their own time.

Silly laws shift law enforcement resources away from catching heavily intoxicated drunken drivers, who pose a risk, to harassing responsible social drinkers, who don't. Taken together, the efforts of activists, law enforcement and policymakers, at the federal, state and local levels, are a misguided attempt to curb what some call the "environment of problem drinking" -- instead of holding individual drinkers responsible for their actions.

Policymakers should exercise restraint when it comes to imposing choices on adults. Such policies place the external costs from a small number of alcohol abusers on the majority of people who consume alcohol responsibly. Restrictions on all to deal with a few will prove to be ineffective and counterproductive. Wisconsin should return the minimum drinking age to the generally accepted age of majority.

Jim Maas is a member and past chairman of the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin