'But it's the law'

I had a little epiphany today as I conversed with a co-worker about fireworks, which technically are illegal in yet another one of those victimless crimes lawmakers invent. He lapsed into sarcastic mode and said, "Yeah, why should anyone worry about something silly like obeying the law?" and I responded in kind, "Well, going 67 on the highway is against the law, too ..."

But as often happens, the true comeback seeped into my head sometime later in the day, as I read Wendy McElroy's essay "The Thin Blue Lie" (and thanks Wally for the link). And all of a sudden I realized why we have so many idiotic laws.

Having spent a great portion of my life in the news biz, I have met quite a few of the people who make our laws, and I've spent some time trying to fathom how they think. I long ago understood why we have so many idiotic laws, but I just never put 2 + 2 together before.

It's as simple as Forrest Gump: Stupid is as stupid does. Garbage in, garbage out. Idiot lawmakers, idiotic laws. Doh!

Happy Independence Day fireworks season, BTW. And when you're setting off your illegal fireworks, be careful! As with all things that go boom, treat them with respect and you'll have lots of fun.