Thinking about poltics, law and our world.
I just read a post by bradhicks
I have a thought about our current, err, geo-political environment.
At least where civil liberties are involved.
The thing that bugs me is, many time congress specifically exempts themselves, law enforcement and other government agencies from the laws they pass.
This bugs me, a lot. I think many of these laws might not pass if the individuals voting on them knew that they personally would be subject to them.
"Government of the people, by the people."
I wonder, what would our laws look like if the founding fathers had written into the constitution that congress could specifically never exempt themselves form any law they wrote?
If any law that applied specifically to some sub-group, also automatically applied directly to congress. Make you think.
I suspect many laws would be about what you CAN do. Not what you can't.
The other thing I would have loved to have seen is a word or page limit to each law that could be passed. Our current system of HUGE blocks of legislation being voted on in total seems.... inelegant to me.
Imagine if each law could only be 100 pages or 10 pages or 10,000 words? (etc)
It would change things a lot. I have no idea if for the better or worse.
I would love to see legislation written so each bill only pertained to one specific topic. No pork, no weird side tangents, no riders.
I had the idea that you have 2 documents. One is the actual bill. Limited in scope and wording, the body of the law. The second document is unlimited. It expands on the law, giving a broader definition, the spirit intended by the law, recommendations on it's interpretation. This second document carries no legal weight. It's purpose is a guide and recommendation for interpreting and ruling on the law. But /only/ a recommendation.
I just get the impression that many members of congress are disconnected from the people the represent, and if they were subject to many of the laws effects, they might reconsider those laws as written.
I have a thought about our current, err, geo-political environment.
At least where civil liberties are involved.
The thing that bugs me is, many time congress specifically exempts themselves, law enforcement and other government agencies from the laws they pass.
This bugs me, a lot. I think many of these laws might not pass if the individuals voting on them knew that they personally would be subject to them.
"Government of the people, by the people."
I wonder, what would our laws look like if the founding fathers had written into the constitution that congress could specifically never exempt themselves form any law they wrote?
If any law that applied specifically to some sub-group, also automatically applied directly to congress. Make you think.
I suspect many laws would be about what you CAN do. Not what you can't.
The other thing I would have loved to have seen is a word or page limit to each law that could be passed. Our current system of HUGE blocks of legislation being voted on in total seems.... inelegant to me.
Imagine if each law could only be 100 pages or 10 pages or 10,000 words? (etc)
It would change things a lot. I have no idea if for the better or worse.
I would love to see legislation written so each bill only pertained to one specific topic. No pork, no weird side tangents, no riders.
I had the idea that you have 2 documents. One is the actual bill. Limited in scope and wording, the body of the law. The second document is unlimited. It expands on the law, giving a broader definition, the spirit intended by the law, recommendations on it's interpretation. This second document carries no legal weight. It's purpose is a guide and recommendation for interpreting and ruling on the law. But /only/ a recommendation.
I just get the impression that many members of congress are disconnected from the people the represent, and if they were subject to many of the laws effects, they might reconsider those laws as written.