Sunday, September 27, 2009

The Ratchet.

The whole "two party" thing causes problems if both parties pass the laws they think are necessary when they are in power, yet nobody ever repeals the laws that they know in what passes for their hearts are wrong.

This is how we'll wind up in a country with both the PATRIOT Act and National Health Care. The way things are going, there'll be a six month waiting list to get wiretapped, and you'll only be able to be waterboarded by a government-provided doctor. Folks will be sneaking off to Mexico for gray-market torture.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I see the drive hasn't hampered your snark any :)

Borepatch made an interesting suggestion about having laws expire automatically after so long. I like it. If the law is that good, they can write a new one to fill the gap.

Jim

Joel said...

:-) I'm stealing this one for a QOD, Tam.

og said...

There will always be fair minded people who can, for a reasonable fee, (based on the dangers involved,) provide you with the kind of torture you prefer. Even now, in back alleys and abandoned homes, people are getting tortured for cash on the barrelhead by talented amateurs. From bamboo under the fingernails to waterboarding to loud Barry Manilow music, there's always somebody tempting somebody else into into doing something they know is wrong. And who am I to judge?

Joel said...

There will always be fair minded people who can, for a reasonable fee,...

No, surely that will stop as soon as it becomes illegal. Once the government makes low-cost torture equally available for everyone, these back-alley torturers will be priced out of the market.

Tango Juliet said...

Wait, how can it be quality torture without government licensing?

Anonymous said...

" If the law is that good, they can write a new one to fill the gap."

AND Outlaw omnbus bills that's say, "bring everyting back in" I want to seem them vote on EVERY_SINGLE_LAW every time.

Anonymous said...

Man, I have not laughed like that in a while. Very well written.

TimP said...

Yeah, I like the mandatory expiration of all laws in say a decade idea. If I ever get a say in writing the constitution of a country I'm definitely including a clause like that.

Bram said...

I think it was "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" in which Heinlein wrote a third legislative house into their Constitution.

The sole purpose of this assembly was to repeal laws - and only a 1/3 majority was required. This struck me as the best idea ever.