"Evil" laws


Always in the eye of the beholder
A while back, one of my liberty lists was talking about evil laws.

To me, this has a lot to do with the roots of government power. As a quick rule of thumb, mala in se laws usually aren't evil and mala prohibita laws are evil. Mala in se laws defend against measurable damage, while mala prohibita laws define what is forbidden. Mala prohibita means the government will impose morality and ethics by force.

Now the whole notion of "evil laws" really intrigues me, probably because I routinely get labeled evil myself. So I thought I would mention some specific laws that I thought were truly evil.

Any law that lets you carry three suitcases of beer, a couple cases of Johnnie Walker Red, and a bottle of champagne unopened in you car, but subjects you to immediate arrest and getting your car impounded if there is a quarter gram of weed in the coat you borrowed from your friend.

Any law that limits the number of licenses/medallions in a given area, or requires extensive training that has very little to do with the job.

Any law that punished an admittedly stupid and horny man for seducing a teenager without considering that the teenager might be just a little guilty herself, especially since this was the second incident and second man with the same teenager.

Eminent domain.

Real ID.

What would you add?

— NeoWayland

Posted: Sun - November 16, 2008 at 03:17 PM  Tag


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