At one time most of our criminal laws were for acts that were "malum in se", that is they were wrong in and of themselves such as stealing or assault. Now, most of our new criminal laws are "malum prohibitum", that is there is nothing inherently wrong with the act but it is criminal merely because it is prohibited by the government. This trend closely tracts the loss of individual freedom and the strengthening of the power of the state.
We are not now, and I believe never will be again, the Country of free, independent people our Founders envisioned.
At one time most of our criminal laws were for acts that were "malum in se", that is they were wrong in and of themselves such as stealing or assault. Now, most of our new criminal laws are "malum prohibitum", that is there is nothing inherently wrong with the act but it is criminal merely because it is prohibited by the government. There was a time when someone could avoid breaking laws just by doing what was 'right'. Your concience could be your guide.
Now, what is legal and what is right are barely overlapping subsets.