…except, of course, those who get to decide who to persecute. No, I did not mean to say “prosecute”. I really did mean to say “persecute”.
It’s called anarcho-tyrany. “Anarcho” because of the anarchy encouraged by ignoring REAL criminals (because, well, it’s both hard and dangerous to deal with them) and “tyranny” for obvious reasons, like for example, it’s MUCH easier to slap a kindergärtner into handcuffs and sling ‘em into the back of a patrol car for drawing a picture of a gun, because the kid can’t fight back (and the “crime” the kid committed goes into the stats and “justifies” the SWAT team that was called out to deal with him).
By criminalizing common behavior by ordinary citizens, politicians *gag-spew* and bureaucraps can expand their power without end, as long as citizens are compliant in allowing themselves to be made subjects of an all-powerful government and the bureaucraps who really rule its subjects.
Nah. Let’s just fugettaboutit. Let the Feds barbecue all the innocent kids they want, Waco-style while giving real criminals and congresscritters (but I repeat myself) and such like free rein.
Graphic lifted from Hookers and Booze.
Look no further than the soccer-mom mentality for the plethora of irritant laws. Not that I’d wish such a venture on anyone, but simply following the comments on such dirty paces as the HuffPost reveals folks teeth gnashing for “MORE LAWS!”
Cell phone gets poor reception in tunnels? Congress should pass a law! Small hole in the bottom of your grocery bag? Pass a law! Your printer uses too much ink?….etc etc
Laws beget laws that beget new laws.
Oh, I quite agree, Fits, that one of the driving forces behind the gargantuan burden of dumbass laws imposed on citizenry nowadays is the result of jackasses and hinny asses who refuse to grow up and take responsibility for their own lives. This plays very well with politicians *gag-spew* and bureaucraps who want to expand their power and turf. And never forget Pournelle’s Iron Law of Bureaucracy:
Also stated more succinctly as,
Self-serving bureaucraps cackle with glee when they meet those with a “grup” mentality who just want Unka Shugah (or Big Brother) to handle all their problems for them. Franklin had a word or three for these “grups”: