The staggering number of laws that govern our society.

Mr. Ed said:
We are not terribly different you and I
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Your beliefs are set in stone same as mine. You are unwilling to question your beliefs out of fear and/or abandonment. You see what you want to see blindly through faith which is at best imaginary but you don’t see it that way.

I’m not here to convince you to abandon your beliefs but I tried your way and I was vastly disappointed in the nothingness of Christian faith. Perhaps I am at fault for my lack of gullibility? I find this more of a blessing than a curse.
 
bobcat said:
Yes, and sadly many of the rich can hire lobbyists to push through laws that benefit them. It obviously works, or lobbyists wouldn't still exist.
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In 2024 There were 13,007 active lobbyists in the US according to Statista 2025.
 
bobcat said:
I had a friend that I played golf with occasionally. One day he hit a long drive that had a nasty hook to the left. Unfortunately, there was a road that bordered the golf course, and a woman was walking on that road. The ball hit her in the head and knocked her to the ground. He did the right thing and went to help her, but he was terrified for the next few months that he could end up losing his house and life savings.

She never sued him, but she certainly could have. She had every right to be on that public road, and he did inflict bodily harm. He was extremely careful after that to watch for pedestrians. I have been hit on the golf course by wayward balls, and I guess it's just a risk you take by being there. But since there are no warning signs on the road, I would think a person would have legal protection.

I think some states probably have strict laws if your dog bites someone (Which could leave a scar for life), and in other states, you must prove negligence. If you knew your dog was dangerous, and it can be proven, then you can be held liable for criminal penalties. In other states, it doesn't matter. If your dog bites someone, even if it's the first time, the damage to the victim is done.
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I've always thought this was the strength of the States. You get to live somewhere that at least has a general agreement on likes and dislikes (laws or not). For example, if you're a raging leftie, you could probably make a better life choice by not moving to Texas. :D
 
VaughanJB said:
I've always thought this was the strength of the States. You get to live somewhere that at least has a general agreement on likes and dislikes (laws or not). For example, if you're a raging leftie, you could probably make a better life choice by not moving to Texas. :D
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True. I've also noticed that cities tend to be more liberal, and country folks tend to be more conservative. I don't know the reason, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the bigger cities in Texas may be more left leaning. If I were to guess, maybe it's because those living in the country have different values and needs than those living in the cities. IDK.
 
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Crowding is considered to be stressful to health and well-being across different cultures and aspects of life in low-, middle- and high-income countries. Several studies have reported a direct association between crowding and adverse health outcomes, such as infectious disease and mental health problems. In addition, researchers have connected crowding to poor educational attainment.
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bobcat said:
There is also every state's view on what is legal, and you could go to jail or prison for. Over half the states have adopted a "Stand your ground" law where if you feel you are in imminent danger or threatened, you can use deadly force. In other states, that could land you in prison.
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No state prohibits deadly force, it's just that the factors are analyzed as to WHY it was used.
bobcat said:
Then there are differences between state laws on gay marriage.
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None that prohibit it, just laws dealing the same as with any other solemnization, such as age, maybe first cousins can not marry, etc.
 
911 said:
Ignorance of the law is no excuse" means that even if someone doesn't know a law exists, they are still responsible for violating it.
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While "Mistake of law" can be a questionable defense, "Mistake of fact" is more arguable.
 
As to the staggering number of laws at all levels of gubmint, we collectively employ politicians to ... wait for it ... write and pass legislation.

That would be nice, but today's career politician has precious little time for such work. As mentioned above, we also have a staggering number of lobbyists who "assist" in writing that legislation, leaving that career politician to do nothing but vie for the camera and the money to finance yet another reelection bid.

As we've seen in recent years, the legislation is already written. Consider the multi-thousand pages of offal that are produced, almost overnight, when it's time to pass yet another continuing resolution. Lots of pork, very little substance.

Sigh. It would be funny if it weren't so sad.
 
ohioboy said:
While "Mistake of law" can be a questionable defense, "Mistake of fact" is more arguable.
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I had a case where a hunter shot a man and claimed he thought it was a deer he had been tracking. His defense attorney called it “Mistake of Fact.” We had to investigate the background of the shooter to find out if he had any connection to the deceased hunter. We also checked to make sure there was no hanky panky going on with the deceased hunter’s wife.

We didn’t find any connection, but the shooter was not completely exonerated. I forget what the judge charged him with, but he ended up with a suspended sentence and a fine, along with his hunting license being revoked. The family of the deceased hunter also sued the shooter for negligence and won their case. I gave testimony in both cases.

Hunters shooting other hunters happens way too often. Hunters will sometimes shoot at a sound they hear thinking it’s probably a deer. Our hunters are supposed to wear fluorescent orange when hunting deer. In most cases, these infractions are handled by the Game Commission. Hunting accidents in PA have seriously declined in the past 40 years.
 
ohioboy said:
No state prohibits deadly force, it's just that the factors are analyzed as to WHY it was used.
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That was my point. In many states, they have a "Duty to retreat" law, which means you can be held accountable if you don't attempt to retreat before using deadly force, while in "Stand your ground" states, you are not obligated to attempt a retreat first before using deadly force.

ohioboy said:
None that prohibit it, just laws dealing the same as with any other solemnization, such as age, maybe first cousins can not marry, etc.
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From what I've read, no states can ban gay marriage anymore, but it's my understanding that some states still have "religious freedom" laws that can protect businesses from refusing services, such as bakeries, florists, photographers, venue rentals, custom printing, apparel, and that sort of thing. They have just enacted laws to skirt around the national law.
 
BlueDragonfly said:
Ironic, isn't it? If the current laws were enforced, half the new ones wouldn't be needed.
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Bingo. We've long reached a saturation point where keeping up with the old rules is a function in and of itself. Apparently, the politicians and bureaucrats have long forgotten about efficiency.

How much information can we manage successfully? Technology helps to a degree, but I question whether managing that information has superseded understanding it.
 
At one time Pennsylvania had “Blue Laws.” The laws were from way back when and many of them were finally repealed. For example; we weren’t allowed to gave retail stores open, including grocery stores. No alcoholic beverages could be sold on Sundays. No concerts or sports were allowed, but the legislature finally allowed sports to be played on Sundays, but afternoons only.

Today, only a few of these old Blue Laws still exist. You can’t buy a car on a Sunday and unless you are a farmer hunting on your own land, it’s illegal to hunt.
 
Texas also had "Blue Laws" prohibiting the sale of specific items on consecutive weekend days (Saturday and Sunday). Blue Laws were repealed here in 1985. These days, convenience stores can sell beer on Sunday, but liquor stores are not open on Sundays.
 
bobcat said:
That was my point. In many states, they have a "Duty to retreat" law, which means you can be held accountable if you don't attempt to retreat before using deadly force, while in "Stand your ground" states, you are not obligated to attempt a retreat first before using deadly force.
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True, but the duty to retreat doctrine can be quite subjective in the elements, which could cause problems for the prosecution. If one can not retreat, even in such a state, the doctrine is moot. The prosecution may argue the person was physically able to do so, therefore the burden is on them to prove that element.
 
Given that the vast majority of politicians come from a "Lawyer" background, it seems that their highest priority is to protect those in their
'profession". If our laws were based upon common sense, most of them could be written on one page.

When a person commits a crime, and there are reliable witnesses, and the crime is caught on video, and the criminal even admits to the crime, the trial could be done in one day, instead of being dragged out for months with all the various appeals, etc.
 

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