“Did you really think we want those laws observed?” said Dr. Ferris. “We want them to be broken. You’d better get it straight that it’s not a bunch of boy scouts you’re up against... We’re after power and we mean it... There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What’s there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that’s the system, Mr. Reardon, that’s the game, and once you understand it, you’ll be much easier to deal with.”The answer to this is widespread non-compliance and armed resistance.
--Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged, 1957
Philip K. Howard, a lawyer,
That’s the only reason WaPo let him in the door.
For little people. If you ran your company into the ground and need a bailout, if you committed fraud, but with good intentions, if you need to violate accounting rules, if you need to make sure the right candidate wins, then laws are an inconvenience. Laws are there to determine who is in the club. If you have to obey the laws, you are not in the club.
Well, it is certainly a timely reminder that we need to reform and simplify our laws.
The tax code is the one most often talked about. Eliminate a few thousand pages of exceptions, to start with, and balance them with equivalent across-the-board tax cuts so that taxes don’t go up as a result.
The EPA is another obvious place to look. And the financial regulations, which seem mainly designed to crush competition while helping the big boys to cheat.
Affirmative action is another obvious place to start. All men (women, and children) are created EQUAL.
But I suspect we also need to finally put the screws to the tort lawyers. Some sort of lid needs to be put on liability lawsuits, if we are ever to get back to a simpler, more open kind of life.
Then it would be nice if we could throw out all the crooked, activist judges.
Utopia, anyone? Well, at least let’s make a start.
The we need to get something done syndrome. No, they need to get a lot Undone.
jury nullification
I have said for sometime that the problem with us is that “we don’t have the rule of law, we have the rule of lawyers.”
The government is broken and it must be sterilized.
how about another “house” of congress devoted to repealing laws?
My solution...In order to pass one law you must REPEAL 100 until we get back to the original 10. Even that would take millenia.
In my high school “Humanities” class my very liberal teacher asked the class what law they would pass if they could pass only one.
Most of the kids gave the standard suck-up responses but when she got to me I replied, “If I could only pass one law it would be that for every new law passed four would have to be eliminated”.
My lefty teacher was shocked, “Why on earth would you do such a thing?!”
“Simple” I explained, “We already have too many useless laws on the books. Tons of them don’t make any sense now, even if they ever made sense to begin with.”
“So Congress would have to pick four laws - at random if they like - and eliminate them. In due time they would get to the point where they would actually have to think about the laws they were enacting.”
She flunked me...;-)
One nation, under too many laws..
Been saying that for years and I strongly believe being a member of Congress is at best a part time job. You get called in when there’s REAL problem like someone getting ready to attack us etc. Otherwise, sit on your ass and do NOTHING and America will once again prosper.
Awesome post!
My feeling is we are choking under the weight of one insane law after another, and then they have to be enforced with specialized agents, or the local cops have to do it. It is why I no longer truly feel we are living in the free country that our founders gave us.
This is one of the biggest problems we have and is never discussed. Also, there is the claim that “ignorance of the law” is no defense - well, I’d say its a damn good defense nowadays!
Damn! Jimmy Carter did say something that made sense once.
ping for later
bump for later read
Unless, of course, they're immigration laws. Then it's just mean old Republicans that want to keep the poor minority "undocumented future citizens" from crossing the border to a better life that only America's Socialist party (DemonRats) can provide.
Unless, of course, they're immigration laws. Then it's just mean old Republicans that want to keep the poor minority "undocumented future citizens" from crossing the border to a better life that only America's Socialist party (DemonRats) can provide.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Congress shall meet for one session not to exceed one year total in any two year congress.
Members of congress shall remain within the boundaries of their respective congressional districts when not in session.
The members of congressmen’s staff shall be present within the confines of the congressional district when congress is not in session.
All measures passed into law by the congress shall apply equally to the members of congress and the other branches of federal government and to the people. Congress shall not exempt its members nor any other employee of federal government, whether elected or appointed, from laws passed.