Post: #1

This is pretty interesting. Even though I knew things are getting bad this opened my eyes to how bad it already is.

Surprisingly, this was run on fox. haha

Basically, it talks about how there are so many laws now that all of use break them one way or another.

Kids lemonade stands are being shut down, bible groups are being stopped, takes a million bucks just to run a taxi, guy got 6 years in jail because he imported lobster tails in plastic bags instead of boxes...






This stuff really pisses me off and makes me really think about moving my business overseas.

Post: #2

This type of alarmism is designed to cultivate resentment against laws and regulation, in general, to lay the foundation for a lawless, unregulated environment that allows big corporations to rip people off, pay people slave wages, and pollute my clean water and air with impunity. This is nothing new. It's all about discrediting the government and law-and-order at every turn. A certain demographic has been freaking out about this shit ever since the New Deal. They never got over that shit.

Whatever your business is, I'm sure this won't affect you.

Post: #3

(03-19-2012 01:25 AM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  This type of alarmism is designed to cultivate resentment against laws and regulation, in general, to lay the foundation for a lawless, unregulated environment that allows big corporations to rip people off, pay people slave wages, and pollute my clean water and air with impunity. This is nothing new. It's all about discrediting the government and law-and-order at every turn. A certain demographic has been freaking out about this shit ever since the New Deal. They never got over that shit.

I hear what you're saying Tuth. I don't necessarily get that vibe from the video.

The shit about the cops was the same for a long time. I remember getting a night stay in jail because I wouldn't take shit from a cop getting into my face, yelling and spitting. I told him to fuck off. He booked me for a crazy ordinance that doesn't allow you to swear in public.

Too many laws like that being used against normal people. I don't really see the corps benefiting from shit like that.

Quote:Whatever your business is, I'm sure this won't affect you.

Moving business overseas wouldn't totally protect me anyway. Being a US citizen they will get me one way or another. ha

Post: #4

There are indeed some retarded laws in books. Few are Federal laws (like DOMA) and the state laws (like MI law against adultery which is a felony there!). However 90% of them seem to be some local ordinances.

Typically when someone comes up with an incredibly stupid example you can bet this is one of the following:

- Some old local ordinance (roughly 20% of cases)

- Someone misinterpreted the law and made the thing up (roughly 20% of cases).

- Someone just made the whole thing up (the majority of cases). Vast majority of "laws" from sites like stupidlaws.com belong to this category. I'd speculate this video too.

Post: #5

(03-19-2012 01:25 AM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  Whatever your business is, I'm sure this won't affect you.

I am very close to someone who is a master plumber with his own plumbing business who forgot to renew his license a few years back, a paperwork mishap. He has been a licensed plumber in the state for 25 years without problems. An apparently new state database showed he received a felony in the early 1970's for growing marijuana in his house after he finished college (old hippy days). Three decades later, the state denied his permit to practice his profession when he re-applied for his license, even though he had not been arrested since in over 30 years.

These laws do affect people everyday. You just don't read about it in the paper.

Post: #6

(03-19-2012 02:35 AM)oldnemesis Wrote:  There are indeed some retarded laws in books. Few are Federal laws (like DOMA) and the state laws (like MI law against adultery which is a felony there!). However 90% of them seem to be some local ordinances.

Typically when someone comes up with an incredibly stupid example you can bet this is one of the following:

- Some old local ordinance (roughly 20% of cases)

- Someone misinterpreted the law and made the thing up (roughly 20% of cases).

- Someone just made the whole thing up (the majority of cases). Vast majority of "laws" from sites like stupidlaws.com belong to this category. I'd speculate this video too.

The video was kind of all over the place.

It touched on stuff that was probably local ordinances. It also talked about cops arresting people for video taping them. An organic store was raided because they sold unpasteurized milk. Then went on to prostitution and drug legalization.

I found the part about getting a taxi license interesting. According to the video, most places charge up to a million dollars just to get an emblem that is needed to run a taxi.

That stuff is killing the entrepreneurial spirit, imo. Something we desperately need to cultivate now more than ever.

It looks like Obama signed an executive order giving the government easy access to martial law.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/321408

Post: #7

(03-19-2012 02:47 AM)durangotang Wrote:  I am very close to someone who is a master plumber with his own plumbing business who forgot to renew his license a few years back, a paperwork mishap. He has been a licensed plumber in the state for 25 years without problems. An apparently new state database showed he received a felony in the early 1970's for growing marijuana in his house after he finished college (old hippy days). Three decades later, the state denied his permit to practice his profession when he re-applied for his license, even though he had not been arrested since in over 30 years.

These laws do affect people everyday. You just don't read about it in the paper.

Makes no sense. They take away his means of employment so he ends up on welfare.

Post: #8

(03-19-2012 02:55 AM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

(03-19-2012 02:47 AM)durangotang Wrote:  I am very close to someone who is a master plumber with his own plumbing business who forgot to renew his license a few years back, a paperwork mishap. He has been a licensed plumber in the state for 25 years without problems. An apparently new state database showed he received a felony in the early 1970's for growing marijuana in his house after he finished college (old hippy days). Three decades later, the state denied his permit to practice his profession when he re-applied for his license, even though he had not been arrested since in over 30 years.

These laws do affect people everyday. You just don't read about it in the paper.

Makes no sense. They take away his means of employment so he ends up on welfare.

Yeah, the felony conviction from his twenties somehow linked up in a computerized database somewhere and he was denied specifically for this reason. He appealed and was denied. He sold his home and has now moved out of state, where he is retired.

The point is that he grew some pot in his house, and because pot was arbitrarily voted illegal he was arrested as a young man. If everything were computerized back then he probably never would have received a plumbers license and started his own business. Somehow this affected him 30+ years later in a paperwork mishap, but since everything is regulated you need a permit to do construction on your own property, the subcontractors (plumbers, electricians, etc.) all have to have state permits so the inspector can sign off that work is done to code. In fact any lucrative job in America pretty much requires a permit or licensure (state permission) these days. As it turns out, they can decide to revoke that for almost any reason.

Post: #9

(03-19-2012 02:47 AM)durangotang Wrote:  I am very close to someone who is a master plumber with his own plumbing business who forgot to renew his license a few years back, a paperwork mishap. He has been a licensed plumber in the state for 25 years without problems. An apparently new state database showed he received a felony in the early 1970's for growing marijuana in his house after he finished college (old hippy days). Three decades later, the state denied his permit to practice his profession when he re-applied for his license, even though he had not been arrested since in over 30 years.

Did he look like this?

   

Post: #10

Lol! Nope, he looks more like this:



Only with short hair. I am in Colorado, not Compton, but that sure made me laugh.

Post: #11

The video was from a non statist viewpoint.

Post: #12

I think the law came off the books recently, but in FL it was illegal to cohabitate with a woman that wasn't your wife. I broke the law for a year and a half and nobody gave a shit.

Post: #13

(03-19-2012 08:37 AM)teh_skeeze Wrote:  I think the law came off the books recently, but in FL it was illegal to cohabitate with a woman that wasn't your wife. I broke the law for a year and a half and nobody gave a shit.

Apparently there are all sorts of weird laws on the books in the States, and no doubt many other countries as well. The one everyone always jokes about is that oral sex is supposedly illegal in many states. Of course the police never enforce any of the more bizare laws.

Why can't the lawmakers just clean up their statute books to reflect how society actually lives? To be honest having laws on the books, but not enforced because breaking them is tolerated or ignored, freaks me out. It gives the police and prosecuotors too many powers, since they can just decide to actually enforce one of these laws if they feel like it. So they can essentially target a specific person, though many many others may break a particular aw with impunity.