[EnderWiggin1970]

Collectivists believe government holds all power by default, and just doles out privileges to the common people. You can't do things until they give you permission.

By contrast free people hold that power rests with individuals by default, and is only delegated to government by common consent; the powers delegated to the government are limited and it is government who needs permission for new actions, not the people. When something new comes along by default people can do it, until there is a consensus that it is a problem and needs to be limited by law.

It is not intuitive that picking up roadkill would be a felonious offense, so however odd it may be I wouldn't criticize these folks. It's just a shame that they ran afoul of such a law.

[pierrem15]

That's actually the law in countries with a strict Roman Law tradition, like in Europe: everything not explicitly allowed by law is forbidden.

Without a law explicitly giving you permission, you can be ordered to stop doing it by the police.