The Law

Americans are justly proud of their nation, it’s history, and it’s people. With a touch of smugness, and a lot of history to back us up, we loudly proclaim ourselves to be “The land of the free, and the home of the brave”. Since the first colonists landed on our shores, we’ve been a people set apart from our European roots, highly independent, self sufficient, innovative, curious, adaptable, and nearly always looking to the future. A meld of all European cultures, and with not a just few folks from other parts of the world mixed in, America became a melting pot that produced a boisterous, hardy, rough and tumble lot, equally willing to shake hands and share a tot of whiskey with a stranger, or engage him in a knock-down drag out fight, as circumstances warranted. We had a strong independent streak, a well overdeveloped sense of right and wrong, and the good sense to keep our noses out of other peoples business, admirable traits that are quite definitely reflected in the wording of our Constitution. We became a people that proudly went when and where we pleased, allowing no interference and submitting to no limitations on our individual rights and freedom.

But in reality, just how free are we today? Well, we can go nearly anywhere and do almost anything we want, as long as we stay within the limitations of a long and constantly growing list of laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, and directives, as ordered by a seemingly endless line of local, state, and federal governing bodies that severely restrict our activities. I guess it’s a necessity for bureaucratic purposes, but we start out by requiring a birth certificate, a piece of paper that tells all and sundry that we were born. If someone is standing right there in front of me, I suspect I can safely assume that he was born… for despite my private thoughts about a few people, I rather doubt they actually crawled out from under a rock. We require a social security number as well, ostensibly so the government can keep track of our earnings through the years, and hopefully supply us with an equitable pittance if we live long enough to retire. It’s also a real handy means of tracking our place of employment whenever the authorities decide they want to discuss some infraction of the rules with us. The law requires that we send our kids to school (in some cases a total waste of time and resources I think), thereby creating a paper trail of scholastic records that follow those young people throughout their lives. The law tells us what the kids are expected to study in school, although I do think that the three R’s are probably quite difficult enough in most cases. But have you ever really looked at the list of “subjects” required by law, and offered for scholastic credit these days!? Throughout our lives we’re followed by a paper trail, mandated by law, of school records, legal records, tax records, military records, employment records, financial records, census records, and the Lord only knows what other records the government has hidden away in the files!

If we own property we have to abide with planning and zoning rules, along with numerous building codes, neighborhood association rules, and property restrictions, all limiting what we may or may not do with our property. If we own a car or a truck, the law tells us what we can or can’t do with that vehicle and how it is to be equipped, along with requiring an assortment of permits, a drivers license, vehicle license, and of course insurance (heaven help us if we neglect to get all of them), along with a confusing jumble of regional traffic laws as well. If we want to go hunting or fishing, we have to abide by all sorts of fish and game rules and regulations, requiring licenses, tags, stamps, and permits. We’re supposed to be politically correct and sensitive to the feelings of others, no matter what those feelings might entail. And don’t forget that either, lest you be tried and convicted of bigotry and “hate crimes” as defined under an assortment of rather vague laws. I guess I’m confessing to committing a crime, but I really do hate it when the law orders the symbols of my religion removed from public display because they might disturb the tender sensitivities of someone of a different religion, but their religious symbols can be legally displayed despite my sensitivities. I also hate it when some people can indiscriminately kill Americans in the name of their religion, and we’re required by law to be considerate of their feelings!

The founders of our nation gave us a Constitutional Republic, and not (contrary to popular belief) the mob rule of an open democracy. Essentially we are expected to select the “brightest and best” of our citizens to represent our interests in the ruling of our nation. These elected representatives supposedly serve at our pleasure, and are expected to do what is best for the nation and by that what is best for the American people. In this day and age however, it seems that our “lawmakers” have taken the job title seriously and spend their time producing an endless series of new laws based on nearly every hare-brained scheme and dumb idea that comes along! Admittedly they will, on occasion, come up with something useful, but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule. It wouldn’t be so bad I expect, if every new law had a mandatory “sunset clause” attached, whereby it automatically expired after a given period of time. Such a provision would be particularly useful if we consider the vast number of hundred plus year old “Blue Laws” still on the books nationwide, and never having been repealed are still quite enforceable!

At the same time, and I will repeat, we are not a democracy. Nonetheless, following that “Democracy” idea, we have presidential candidates vying with each other to pass even more laws, spending what’s left of our public funds in vote buying social engineering schemes. Many of these candidates want to pass laws giving all kinds of money, benefits, and even social security to illegal immigrants. Leaving no child behind, we have laws requiring a massive increase in educational expenses, that will probably be expanded into government mandated classes in hard rock appreciation and the glories of the Hollywierd drug culture. Along with the drive for laws creating nationwide socialized medicine, we can also expect to see laws generating a nationwide children’s health insurance program that not only covers poverty stricken or low income families, but every child in the country including those whose fortunate parents make a few million dollars a year!

Laws, rules, regulations… government orders enforced by the police and the military, controlling and restricting every aspect of a supposedly free peoples existence. Laws, major and minor, that fill our overcrowded prisons with people convicted of all sorts of offenses, both serious crimes and some quite frivolous mistakes. In my mind, what we need are far fewer laws, and more common sense, in this country. Of course a little self-discipline on the part of many citizens wouldn’t hurt either, but in accordance with the law, neither parents nor our schools can teach that subject anymore.