A lot of problems would be solved if the federal and state constitutions set a maximum life span for laws. The old crud would disappear by itself, and the legislatures would be too busy re-enacting the worthwhile laws to get into much newfangled mischief.
I think that's a good idea - didn't the assault weapons bill go away because it had a set lifespan? It would be nice to see more sunset clauses, especially in laws that are more 'experimental' attempts to address an issue (like the AWB).