In brief

[unixronin]

One should not pass laws that invite public contempt, if one wishes to continue to have a working system of laws.

Comments

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

The legislature is actually pretty good about that, even when it takes more than one shot to get it right. The courts are adequate, when correcting the legislature, but often run into problems when they apply an old right to a new circumstance. (Observe the disruption of school busing to achieve racial parity goals, as an example.)

Our federal legislature is getting more partisan, so that less communication and refinement is taking place in the laws getting passed. (Also a factor, the laws run 1000+ pages, and you get 14 hours to decide how to vote.)

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

The particular subject that spurred this was the increasing absurdities of copyright law and the abuse it enables.

"You can't make a device that reads our books aloud! That violates copyright and cuts into our audiobook sales!"
"But you haven't released any of these as audiobooks."
"What's that got to do with it?"


That's far from the only example, though. There's the CPSIA, which is so poorly thought out it will potentially destroy entire market segments. Even the rare well-thought-out bills are usually so stuffed with pork and festooned with non-germane amendments and riders that the end result is contemptible. And we won't even get into the practice of burying offensive crap that its writers know would never pass on its own in the middle of vast omnibus bills that they know no-one's going to get time to read until after they've already been voted on. Writing laws in Congress has largely become the art of putting one over on the voters without the voters figuring out exactly who did it.

[lebo-superman.livejournal.com]

"Writing laws in Congress has largely become the art of putting one over on the voters without the voters figuring out exactly who did it."

That hits the nail on the head, exactly!

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

More Laws, Less Justice. --Marcus Terilius 42 AD

Hardly a new phenomena. Fortunately, the courts have generally preserved user rights in their upheld decisions. Most congresscritters are lawyers. Most have not worked outside of public office. That leaves massive ignorance of major branches of human knowledge. Deliberately attempting to dupe their constituents is a problem. Still, we rely on their best judgment about the public good because most of us can't be bothered to keep up with all of it. Sometimes I don't agree with what my representative thinks is best for me.