"Not every human problem deserves a law," Jerry Brown wrote when he vetoed a measure that would have fined parents who fail to have their children wear helmets while skiing or snowboarding. He went on to say he was concerned about the continuing "transfer of authority from parents to government."

That's a phrase that could have been plucked from a tea party politician. Brown isn't that, and neither am I, by a long shot. But I, too, am tired of government mandates when it comes to personal risk-taking and our children. And I'm not talking just snow sports.

State law bars anyone under the age of 18 from riding a bike without a helmet. Underage skate-boarders, inline skaters and scooter riders are required to wear helmets. In New Mexico, tricycle riders have to wear helmets - really, tricycle riders.  

Have we become a nation of wimps, so risk averse we don protective gear for every potential mishap? Our children especially are smothered, entrapped, encased - not just in helmets, but knee pads, elbow pads and shin guards. Everything, it seems, but bubble-wrap.

Worse, we've written laws that force us into this perpetual protective crouch. I don't know how to reverse the trend, how Americans can be made less afraid. But I think vetoes like the one Gov. Brown just issued are a good start.

Ginger Rutland writes for The Sacramento Bee opinion pages.