Everyone's A Criminal

You probably broke the law today.
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Criminal law has exploded in size and scope. There are more than 300,000 federal criminal laws alone.
“There's a federal prohibition on walking a dog on a leash longer than six feet on federal property. It is a jailable offense,” says Rafael Mangual of City Journal. “Anyone can be prosecuted for almost anything.”
Like trying to save animals during a hurricane. That got Tammy Hedges in trouble.
She was charged with 12 counts of “misdemeanor practicing or attempting veterinary medicine without a license.”
Her crime? Sheltering animals. Or as she put it: “mak[ing] sure that they were not out there drowning.”
According to the prosecutor, “a passion and love of animals is laudable but does not excuse unnecessarily putting their health at risk.”
“The idea that these people were engaged in the sort of behavior that ought to be met with jail time really does seem to belie reality,” Mangual tells Stossel.
“How did we get here, with so many laws even lawyers can’t count them?” asks Stossel.
“At the federal level, 98% of criminal laws are not passed by elected representatives. They are created entirely by unelected bureaucrats who don’t have to answer to anyone” Mangual responds.
Many of the laws exist because politically connected people don’t like newcomers entering their turf. “At the root of a lot of the overcriminalization problem is … established players who want to use the government to keep them protected from competition” explains Mangual.
This overcriminalization puts everyone at risk of being prosecuted for things that we don’t even know are illegal,” says Stossel.
Mangual agrees: “It's impossible to know what sort of behavior is criminal. When they get labeled as criminals, that stays with them through their whole life.”

[@douglasroach8079]

Remember folks, the government is protected under qualified immunity.

[@smug_slime]

"So, why did you go to jail?"

[@goofygal27]

"“Show me the man, and I'll show you the crime.”" - Lavrentiy Beria, head of Joseph Stalin's secret police

[@thingfish000]

Even more frightening: today's answer is always "we need a law". No, we need fewer laws, fewer bureaucracies, fewer taxes to fund this nightmare.

[@RezaQin]

We need much more smaller government.

[@jasongarrett5437]

“What is everyone in for?”

[@nikolaikalashnikov4253]

"I've investigated myself and found no wrong-doing".

[@CharlesLumia]

"The more laws, the less justice."

[@DANLAROCA-dx9gk]

I believe everyone is a criminal in Washington. Too many people focusing on the man who sits in the Oval Office for 4 to 8 years, yet neglect the dinosaurs that roam congress and the senate for 20 to 30 plus years.

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

And surprisingly, criminals could care less how many laws are passed.

[@CodyAardema]

At this point, nothing shy of a reset button will ever cleanse this mess.

[@ZENMASTERME1]

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help."

[@christoph8365]

Problem of big government. Career politicians and bureaucrats of the deep swamp.

[@huron3871]

"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws" - Gaius Cornelius Tacitus

[@m8272m]

"Ignorance is not a legal defense" but when you create an inumerable number of laws...

[@cazgerald9471]

"Land of the free" is officially a joke.

[@watchandjewelryloft4713]

"If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so."

[@MrJoeybabe25]

“There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.”

[@Dhalin]

Something something about the right to bear arms and defend oneself against a tyrannical government.

[@crazytmg]

As me ole pappy used to say, "The reason there are too many criminals is because there's too many laws and there's too many laws because there are too many people living off the process."