Law and enforcement

[HydrogenBond]

There is a quote in the bible that says something like, law is not created for the righteous man but for the sinner. In other words, laws are made for the criminals and not the honest people. Yet even the honest people are placed under the same set of laws as the criminals. The mentality is kill them all, i.e, innocent and criminals, and sort them out latter.

 

One can see this in airport screening. Even little babies and senior citizens are treated like potential terrorists via the screening process. This may have something to do with civil liberties and profiling. To protect the civil liberties of a few, we treat everyone like a criminal, equally.

 

It would seem to me a better system, would start all people out with a basic set of laws. If one violates the basic set more laws are added to you. If you maintain the basic set, laws are taken away from you. Eventually the criminal would be under law and the honest people wouldn't.

[Freddy]

Laws are the norms that a society feels so strongly about that they are codified. Humans are not perfect and are commonly engaging in behavior that is harmful to others. Example; drunk driving (DUI) Society made it illegal to drive while drunk to protect society by saving lives and personal injuries. If you do not drink alcohol or drive the law does not affect you, unless you are stopped at a drunk driving road block. However, because others drink alcohol and drive drunk you may be affected by it.

[HydrogenBond]

For example, seat belts laws in some states attempt to impose this on all people at all times. If one looks at this logically, the average person will only need to wear a seatbelt once or twice a lifetime. Those will be the only times it may save your life, the rest of the 99.9999% of the time, the seatbelt has no use beyond appeasing fear of the unknown. Yet one might be treated as a criminal 100% of time in that state.

 

It would make more sense that if a person gets injured where a belt would have helped, they get fined at that point for creating some burden to the system. If the burden is bad enough maybe they need to wear it all the time. The odds are that person will only need it maybe one more time in their life, so the rest of the time becomes a type of irrational parole.

[Zythryn]

It would make more sense that if a person gets injured where a belt would have helped, they get fined at that point for creating some burden to the system.

 

Interesting idea. However, doesn't that fine indicate it was illegal for them to do? Perhaps instead of a fine, just disallow any insurance, so they must pay, in full, for their lack of common sense?

 

I like the idea of enforcing personal responsibility. However our current society doesn't seem to support this idea.

 

The other issue would be what about issues in which the 'crime' results in harm to another individual?

[Freddy]

In Massachusetts it is a secondary offense you need to be pulled over for speeding and if you are not wearing your seat belt the fine is $25. A bill was defeated in the state legislature that would have made it a primary offense. I wear my seat belt 100% of the time. But about 40% of drivers in MA do not.

[HydrogenBond]

I only wear it if I need it. I remember many years ago driving south. I left later in the week that I should have and was forced to drive through a snowstorm heading north. I left about 7PM and drove until about 3AM. I was burnt out and needed a power nap in a truck stop. After the hour nap, I was fully refreshed and the storm has passed over. The roads were still icy, but without the fog and snow it was much easier to drive on. After a few minutes, I had a premonition to put on my seatbelts. I never wear them and wasn't up to that point. The premonition nagged at me, until I began to feel anxiety, so I put it on. About 10 mins laters I became part of a multiple car pile-up that totalled my car.

 

I remember, just before impact, with time slowing down, I put my hands in the air to test the seat belt. I figured in that split second if I was suppose to be hurt I would not have had the premonition. It worked fine. I remember thinking afterwards, I wish the accident was better, so I could have had a better test. After that I stopped wearing seat belts again since i fighured I will have another premonition if I need to use it. I have had those maybe about a ddozen times, with all false alarms. But this is the criterion I use. That would make me a criminal in Massachusetts.

 

This was a sexist joke not taken too well, but female friend tried to coax me into using my seat belt. She said that she wears it all the time. I said to her, if I was a woman driver I would probabaly wear one too. That didn't go over too well and put me in the dog pound. I softened things up by wearing it until things loosened back up. After that, back to normal for me.