DeKalb should allow more liquor establishments to set up shop.

The DeKalb City Council has repeatedly voted to keep the number of Class A liquor licenses at 16, despite the growth of the city. This trend is a long one. In fact, according the original DeKalb liquor policy from more than thirty years ago, there should be two more Class A licenses in town.

The DeKalb City Council raised the minimum population needed for another liquor license twice, without a good cause.

Now, I am far from a lush. In fact, I can be found in a bar maybe once a month, and I hardly get wasted even when I do.

However, competition is generally a good thing, especially in retail. The market should determine how many bars open in town.

Having more bars does not necessarily mean more people will get drunk or the city will have to deal with more alcohol-related crimes.

People will drink or they won’t. Having a couple more options doesn’t change if or how often people go to bars.

In an interview published in the March 1 issue of the Northern Star, Mayor Frank Van Buer said, “We don’t want too many licenses and new bars are closing down. We can’t let the market determine the number of bars. I don’t think the community would want to live in a town where everyone with enough money can open a bar.”

And why not? As long as the owners follow the law and don’t hand out Jell-O shots to little kids, why shouldn’t they be able to open bars?

In addition, there is no reason why current bar owners should receive special protection from competition. They should have to feel the pressures of the market, just as the owner of a candy store or clothing store should. If new bars close down because they can’t attract customers, then so be it. If old bars have to close because the newer bars have better prices or pool tables, so be it.

Some DeKalb council members have expressed a desire to expand the number of licenses.

“We are expanding to a more diverse community and people need more options,” said First Ward Alderman Karega Harris in another March 1 Star article.

Exactly. Mike and Joe, continual frat boy faves, can only play in so many bars a night. The more places we can go — or not go — the more content the DeKalb and NIU population will be.

In addition, as reported earlier this month, DeKalb already has a higher ratio of people per bar, at 1,547, than other nearby college towns. Champaign has 951 people per bar. Madison, Wis. has 444.

This implies the number of bars in DeKalb is being kept artificially below what a more free market would demand.

Liquor needs to be used responsibly and legally. Allowing a little more competition in the liquor market wouldn’t threaten that.