From Anderson Cooper 360:

2/24/2010 10:11:42 PM

Laws are the worst thing for legislators to be spending their time on. What do they think they're getting paid for?

2/24/2010 10:23:32 PM

on the surface, without watching the video, I'm inclined to agree with ^

2/24/2010 11:08:14 PM

I surprised that his solution was to give judges more power over the law... sounds kind of activist to me

And the "self-consciousness is the enemy of accomplishment" seemed a bit silly too.

But he did have a some good points otherwise, even if he was kind of whiny.

2/24/2010 11:34:49 PM

Quote :

"Laws are the worst thing for legislators to be spending their time on. What do they think they're getting paid for?"

ha winner

2/25/2010 12:34:21 PM

^^ OTOH, mandatory sentencing is part of the reason our jails are so full of non-violent drug offenders.

2/25/2010 1:01:41 PM

You are right about that. Like I said, he had several good points. But I do worry about any argument that hinges on a return to a mythical golden era.

2/25/2010 1:10:41 PM

Think about it though, the more time that goes by the more laws we have. How can you break the cycle, other than a revolution/coup of the gov't?

2/25/2010 2:59:46 PM

We are a pretty young country in the scheme of things. I don't think we are going to see anti-law revolutions within our lifetimes.

2/25/2010 3:41:52 PM

^^imo that's the problem...if a particular legislature doesn't enact many new laws during a particular sesson they are seen as not doing anything, so they "invent" things to govern.....almost like busy work.

[Edited on February 25, 2010 at 3:42 PM. Reason : .]

2/25/2010 3:42:34 PM

Some laws kind of fall by the wayside, I mean no one has to worry about tying up their horse too close to a church, and as times pass the world changes.

And as times change we need to modernize our laws. Laws on privacy from 100 years ago can't handle the internet era, some laws on conventional warfare maybe don't apply so well during a war on terror, laws on trade and travel from 200 years ago probably don't fit so well with today's realities. Laws on stem cell research and science aren't "busy work" either.

Some efforts are to remove laws as well. Efforts to remove DADT for example requires legislative action, and it is getting something done without being busy work.

In many cases we're upgrading from wooden fences to iron fences to steel fences to fit with the times rather than just building the fences higher and higher.

2/25/2010 3:56:50 PM

Supplanter said:

Quote :

"some laws on conventional warfare maybe don't apply so well during a war on terror"

stick a quarter in your ass 'cause you just played yourself

[Edited on February 25, 2010 at 4:00 PM. Reason : gameboy-ass motherfucker]

2/25/2010 3:59:07 PM

go look at the nc ga page of bills passed in 2009 and say with a straight face that all those were necessary....even just half.

2/25/2010 4:05:51 PM

[Edited on February 25, 2010 at 4:06 PM. Reason : nm]

2/25/2010 4:05:53 PM

You'll notice I used no qualifiers with my other examples, I used 2 with that one, because I'm trying to make the point that laws have to be updated with the times, and I think some people reading this thread probably view that as a valid example.

I certainly don't think more torture, more extraordinary rendition, and the like are the kind of updates we need, but having the legislature address funding, building a new facility so gitmo can be closed, rebuilding the countries we've invaded, actively addressing things like water-boarding instead of letting it slide. My point, and maybe I didn't make it clearly enough, is that the legislature can spend time on things relating to the war on terror, especially in fixing some issues that happened under the last administration, without it just being "busy work."

Nice of you to assume that I'm for torture or whatever it is that you assumed and put it in big scrolling letters, when my point was that the legislature can spend time on this issue without it being busy work.

[Edited on February 25, 2010 at 4:29 PM. Reason : .]

2/25/2010 4:22:02 PM