Posted on 03/31/2010 7:33:40 AM PDT by GraceG
When one person really thinks about how many laws does one break everyday just waking up and going to work? How many tax code violations does one break without even knowing it? How many state laws and loacl laws are broken each day without even realizing that you are breaking the law? How many times have you been pulled over for something that was a non-issue but was something classified as a minor offense just so you could be pulled over and examined by law enforcement? If one were to fill a room with pages of laws that affect you, how many stacks of papers would be required to describe all of the laws that apply to you in a day? What if you own your own small business?
The problem we seem to be having today is what I like to term "Legal Bloatware". One ends up with so many laws and regulations that apply to someone that givene enough time they can trump up any charges on anyone to put them away for several years if they wanted to. Also whole professions are supported by these bloated laws int he form of lawyers, judges, enforcement agencies and the like it is almost a whole monopolized system onto itself.
Just look at the laws governing taxes, whole industies are supported and enabled to ensure people's compliance with over complicated tax laws. Tax attourneys, Tax Planners, Tax free Investment firms all exist to ensure our compliance with the tax laws. The Dirty little secret about the tax code as written is simply this, If you are a small to medium sized business you are essentially in an unwinnable battle, how many small to medium sized businesses can affrod to hire a team of Tax compliance specialists to ensure they are not crushed by the tax code? Not very many and if it costs a small to medium sized business $100,000 to hire a tax planner and finacial planner to re-coup $90,000 of lost revenue through tax loopholes, how feasible is that model. Now your Large Multinational Businesses like G.E. and Government Motors, they can afford to spend 10 million or more a year to pay Tax Attourneys and Finanacial Investors because their return on investment is much greater. So they can spend 10 million because it will save them 1 billion in taxes and fees. They can afford to hire creative Financial Planners to shuffle money offshore and to and from capital accounts because it makes sense. The problem with this is that then the left seizes upon this practice and says "We need more regulation to stop this sort of thing." So they create more Rules and Regulations to "Punish the Big Bad Businesses", but the big business people just have to hire a couple more Tax Attrouneys and Finanacial Advisors and they are not nearly proportionally affected as the Small/Medium businesses are. I don't hold it against Big Businesses as they are also trying to survive, but the whole mentality of trying to punish the large busineses is inadvertantly punishing the smaller ones. The "law of unintended consequences" is a law that cannot be ignored, though many in D.C. are ignorant of it.
I liken the whole mess to computer bloatware, which is software that as new versions are released seems to get slower and slower to the point where you have to keep buying new hardware each year to "keep up". The laws of the federal government cane be liked to Windows Vista, and while Larger Businesses can afford to buy a brand spanking new multi-core system, small business owners are trying to run Windows Vista on the same machine they were running Windows 98 on 12 years ago. And you wonder why small and medium businesses are "Blue-Screening" these days.
It will eventually get to the point where people will just get so fed up with the multitude of laws they will throw their arms up in the air and start ignoring the laws and anarchy will break out like what is starting to happen in Europe. In this case it is paradoxical because too many laws will lead to anarchy. I think there should be a set number of laws, and if you want to add a new law you must take away another law. Doing this is the only way to avoid anarchy and the occasional Blue Screen of Death.
We should have a requirement at every level of government- in order to pass a new law you must first repeal an old one.
but then we’d miss out on those fun, obscure/ obsolete law chain emails.
And then of course, you have your business to run....
I’ve heard all my life that corrupt and oppressive governments create laws that can’t be complied with so that they always have the arbitrary power to destroy anyone. I don’t know what to do as a Christian, since we are told to obey the laws . . . when it is impossible to obey the laws and survive . . . or even to know them.
It's already happening. Most small businesses couldn't even operate if they obeyed the letter of the law. Government knows this - it gives them a way to take out anyone they find inconvenient.
There is a clear distinction between important laws and stupid ones. Generally Congress and state legislatures are responsible for the latter, which is one reason why there is such an anti incumbent feeling gaining steam throughout the entire country, most of which is directed against democrats and liberals, who are being increasingly viewed as not being able to fix a damn thing, like the economy, the budget deficits, the national debt, worldwide terrorism, national security, securing the borders, government spending, creating jobs, and many other important issues that mean a lot to all Americans all across the country.
Lawyers are big political contributors. More laws means more work (court and document filing).
That was the quote I was looking for.
Most Congress critters are also lawyers.
One of the important lessons of “Atlas Shrugged”. The point of passsing so many laws is NOT so you will obey all of them, but so the government can GUARANTEE you will be in violation of at least one of them.
What you and I are faced with is the personal responsibility to to obey LEGITIMATE laws. It is rather akin to a member of the military being requried to obey lawful orders. As another point of view, you will remember that the Libs dragged Nazis into a court (thus legitimizing that little process in international law) instead of simply hanging them. They felt the need to put a clean leagalese frosting on everything instead of just tending to business.
One ends up with so many laws and regulations that apply to someone that givene enough time [...]
[...] whole professions are supported by these bloated laws int he form of lawyers [...]
[...] whole industies are supported
Tax attourneys [...]
[...] how many small to medium sized businesses can affrod to hire a team [...]
to hire a tax planner and finacial planner
[...] to pay Tax Attourneys and Finanacial Investors [...]
[...] but the big business people just have to hire a couple more Tax Attrouneys and Finanacial Advisors [...]
[...] trying to punish the large busineses is inadvertantly punishing the smaller ones [...]
I understand your sentiment, but this is difficult to read.
Regards,
And even after they leave office, they serve as lobbyists.
Sorry about that I forgrot to use the speelchecker...
>> I understand your sentiment, but this is difficult to read. <<
It’s a Vannity post but I am not Vain enuogh to cheek the speling. :)
>> I’ve heard all my life that corrupt and oppressive governments create laws that can’t be complied with so that they always have the arbitrary power to destroy anyone. I don’t know what to do as a Christian, since we are told to obey the laws . . . when it is impossible to obey the laws and survive . . . or even to know them. <<
If we render unto Ceasar much more we will end up being rendered into lard to greese the wheels of tyrants.
>> Take what was said about tax law; and multiply by 6. It’s the same unwinnable overload for each branch of the government you deal with as a small business: OSHA; Labor Laws, HR Laws, tax laws, environmental laws, state, local etc, etc.
And then of course, you have your business to run.... <<
I wouldn’t have been able to post this before easter if I put in every silly regulation into the article,
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