This page is devoted to laws that benefit nobody or the wrong party. The scope and niveau of the content we shall have to define as we go and update the rules (if we may call them that) as pragmatically as possible.
Laws may be categorised
arbitrarily as follows (this list is obviously incomplete):
Time will tell if the above list is adequate or even necessary.
In fact pragmatism describes very well what we are demanding of law-givers. It may be as well to clarify at the outset what sort of law we mean. Things like the rate of income tax or the legitimacy of the death penalty are not our topic. Nor, for the moment at least, is the possible legalisation of (say) marijuana. Enough internet space has already been devoted to things as important as these. Far more important to us here are the little prohibitions and requirements that interfere with and spoil the fun of our everyday lives. A few examples:
In Singapore it is
allegedly illegal to chew gum in the street.
In California it is
illegal to smoke in a bar.
In many parts of the
USA it is illegal to serve alcohol out in open (which puts paid to beergardens).
In Germany, Switzerland
and Austria a pedestrian can get fined for crossing the road against a red
light.
In England it is illegal
under certain circumstances to throw someone bodily out of your house or move
a car that is blocking your driveway.
Of course, after all this moaning, we must give a few examples on enlightened laws, that some other countries would do well to adopt:
In the USA it is legal
to start a business in a garage.
In England (in London,
actually) there is place called Speakers' Corner, where you can speak your
mind in public without fear of arrest. We are given to understand that it
is extremely difficult to sue someone for libel on the basis of utterances
made at Speakers' Corner. (Personal retribution does not, however, come under
this ruling.)
The assertions made above are based on the authors' "native wit" and have not yet been checked for accuracy. We would appreciate any information you can give us to help to ensure the correctness of our statements.
This page is perforce still under construction.