In 1994, Phillip K. Howard wrote a very insightful commentary about how attempts to legislate behavior have led to suffocating laws that do more harm than good. (If you can’t find a copy in the local library, check Amazon.com.)

We are subject to so many laws that it’s virtually impossible for anyone to be sure they have not broken some law that could be used as an excuse by some officials to impose fines, to confiscate assets (forfeitures) or even put any of us in jail. In spite of this, there seems to be a pervasive attitude that “there oughta’ be a law” to fix every alleged problem. For a long time, I blamed this syndrome on those liberals who are constantly trying to create a perfect society (in their own image) through coercion and punishment. But it seems that a very large part of our populace (including many conservatives) is in favor of more laws to attempt to “protect us” from every form of unapproved behavior.