Laws/Enforcement Poll

[Boxlicker101]

Og said,

Prostitution is legal in the UK.

Making money from prostitutes is not: even if the taxman does.

Soliciting in a public place is illegal.

This is pretty close to the Canada situation.

Isn't it odd that the 'socialist' countries (Canada, UK, Sweden, etc) have managed to END government interference with individuals in this area. And same for smoking a joint.

Throughout the 'liberty loving' US--justly proud of its historic Bill of Rights-- prostitution is llegal (state law), except in a dozen counties in Nevada. Smoking a joint is illegal, and depending on the mood of the police, your color, etc. can get you a jail sentence.

We have to ask, Why are there so many laws on the books: part of the answer is that a certain broad public sector, not posting in this thread, have a religious or moral agenda, which they want embodied in the law.

This is true, of course, organized religion has been behind many laws that restrict the freedom of Americans. I didn't say "religious right" because it goes far beyond that. There are many who will scorn Falwell and Robertson, et. al. and will still be opposed to gay marriage and prostitution and marijuana, on the grounds that such things are "sinful". They may not know it but they are allied with drug dealers and pimps and procurers and crooked cops who line their pockets because such things are illegal.

Prohibition may be the greatest victory ever for such persons and all that accomplished was to establish an entrenched criminal class and contempt for the law.

 

[rainyguy]

That's nonsense. We need justice and we need mercy and the two are not incompatible. If some guy beats up his SO and goes to court and the judge says "Naughty, naughty" and leaves it at that, there has been no justice. No mercy either, at least not for the SO because, since he has gotten away with it, he will do it again and again.

Justice is a person getting the punishent that is deserved. Mercy is seeing to it that no innocent person is punished or abused and that no guilty person is punished excessively. Ted Bundy or Tinothy McVeigh showed no mercy for any of their many victims and the law showed no more mercy for either of these scum than it had to. They got justice, or at least as close to it as could be done.

I agree that, after eliminating the many stupid and harmful laws, we should enforce the ones that are left.

well then,

looks like we disagree.

 

[SlickTony]

I agree about the stupid laws, except the one in Natchez about not giving beer to an elephant is sound, because elephants are in general mean drunks.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

I agree about the stupid laws, except the one in Natchez about not giving beer to an elephant is sound, because elephants are in general mean drunks.

LMAO.

 

[rgraham666]

I'd rather start from root causes.

What makes people break the law? And how do we stop them from doing so? Without instituting a tyranny?

Only a well thought out and simple system of ethics can accomplish that. Something we don't currently have.

We have economic theories, political theories, theories of law and justice. But no system of ethics.

Until we do have a system of ethics, and people learn to live by it, the rest will have no more success at getting rid of crime than bleeding did at getting rid of disease.