"There should be a law against that"?

Question

I often hear people say "There should be a law against that" when they see something they don't approve of happening across the street (I.E. Pot smoking, abortion, guns...). My question is; Is it right to keep making laws against our neighbors that strangle our freedoms because most people don't like what they are doing? If yes, what freedoms/human rights should remain untouched by the law?

looking for opinion, serious answers only. thanks.

Answer 1

No - more laws do not equal more safety or more freedom.

Answer 2

You raise an excellent point. The current code of law in the US is like 8 1,000 page books. There is no way anyone could know all the laws.

Part of the problem of our society is that we are so bogged down in following the law and knowing what our neighbors are doing. If we all concentrated on living our lives and raising our families in good, upstanding manners, we wouldn't need laws against loud music at night, talking on cell phones while driving, flying really big American flags, etc.

Unfortunately, there are too many people in the world who are solely concentrated on themselves and what they want and don't seem to give a fig for their neighbor. Thus, we enact those laws. Half of these crappy laws aren't even "laws" but enforced morality and politeness.

Until people start behaving as humans rather than acting like animals, we will only continue adding new laws.

Answer 3

From my experience people often say that phrase when they see things they don't approve off because they want someone else i.e. the government to take care of moral issues. That is not the governments job. The government is here to protect us and to make sure we obey the basic laws of civilization. Like Murder and theft. Many people nowadays don't like to talk about guns and violence or sex or drugs, things of a moral issue to their kids, they would rather have the public schools do it for them or television or what have you. Bottom line is that most people don't take the time to be responsible adults and teach different ways they just want bad things taken away so that they aren't within sight, if we keep going down the path we are....the United States could end up becoming a communist country.

Answer 4

I believe that the less the government is involved the better. However if idiot people would stop making their habits visible to the naked eye, then so many people would not have a problem. It's all a balance between good and evil. Killing the smallest form of our very own species is not a good thing regardless. Everyone knows that smoking of any kind hurts every-ones lungs etc.. causing the cost of health care to go up which causes tax's to go up. Nobody essentially wants or needs that extra stress in their lives.

Answer 5

I think the government has made a bunch of ridiculous laws since the beginning of time. People always have something to complain about and they always try to make people conform to a certain standard instead of just letting us live our lives. I believe that anything that does not harm another person should be left alone. Who am I hurting by smoking pot if I'm doing it in my own home? What happened to choice?

Answer 6

Certain things, there should be a law against; things that have no purpose, when looked at objectively, but harm. Abortion, is one, because, when you get around the semantics, it is taking a life that has done nothing to deserve it except be an inconvenience to one or both of the creators;assault weapons are another, because right in the name, is the word assault; nothing good can come of that. Freedoms are not absolute. I heard someone say once, "your right to swing your arms ends where my nose begins." In other words, you only have rights to the extent that they don't impinge on someone else's. Possession of assault weapons by civilians impinges on the public's right to expect to live in as safe a community as possible. Abortion impinges on a person's right to life. Oh, and if "Most people" don't like what someone is doing, that is how this country works; This is a country where the majority rules.

Answer 7

The government should only be in the business of providing prosperity for the country by promoting a healthy economy, protecting the country from attack either internally or from without, and protecting the weak from the strong - that is, making sure children have enough to eat and that they have adequate health care and education.

Nothing else is the government's business.