Is Politics Insoluble?

The Torrent of Laws'
All over the United States, if you are reading this in a day-
light hour, there is a ceaseless downpour of new laws. Every
day some of us, somewhere, are being encumbered or shackled
by still more restrictions. There are just too many laws.
But how do we tell how many laws are too many, and
which ones are pernicious?
Let us begin with some elementary considerations. A law
may be defined as an edict which either forbids you to do
something or compels you to do something. Sometimes, it is
true, it may be merely a guiding rule which tells you how to do
something, or defines procedures or standards, Hke weights
and measures. But such standard-setting laws are few in
number. Most laws are prohibitions or compulsions—in short,
commands.
Why are laws necessary? They are necessary, first of all, to
prevent people from injuring or aggressing against their
neighbors; to prevent theft and fraud, vandalism and violence.
On the more positive side, they are necessary to lay down
rules of action, so that others may know what to expect of us
and we of others, so that we may anticipate each other's
actions, keep out of each other's way, and work and act so far
as possible in cooperation and harmony.
In a modern society, the traffic laws epitomize law in gen-
eral. When they instruct us to keep on the right side, to drive
within a specified speed limit on a given street or highway, to
stop at a red light, to signal our intended turns, they may
*From the January 1979 issue of The Freeman.
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