Post by haloballfann on Jul 2, 2018 3:18:52 GMT -5
N.B: This post isn't motivated by the wider immigration question. I believe in open borders, but that's against the topic.
There's a lot of people talking about legalizing and de-criminalizing a variety of things. Marijuana, drunk driving, even TCAP preds. I, for one, do not believe that decriminalization is right for things that are not to be encouraged. The purpose of criminalizing a behavior is to prevent someone from doing something. Ergo, something that should not be done should be criminalized. The argument is that individuals will do something, even if it is criminalized. But, I think that typically, if something is criminalized, most people will either not do it, or will do it less, particularly if those individuals know that this law will be enforced.
A lot of people talk about how anti-drug PSAs are dumb or ineffective, because they somehow cause people to want to do engage in an activity they believe is taboo. But, isn't the government (and society in general) obligated to try to publicly inform people to not do things that are against their health? Isn't the individual's fault for being reckless if they intentionally do something bad, for the sake of doing something bad, because someone told them it isn't good for them?
I do believe that the penalties for breaking the law should not be excessive. But cases of excessive enforcement are fairly rare, at least for first time offenders. Further, if we would like to live in a nice society, this means frequently applying small laws that, at least in the USA, are rarely enforced. Citations for speeding in residential areas (Not just on the highways), citations for overgrown lawns, citations for paint peeling from a house, all of these things are necessary because without them, no one who is unethical has an immediate incentive to do the right thing. Some people are unethical. They will do bad things if it is convenient for them. We need the law to ensure those people do not harm people who are ethical.
There's a lot of people talking about legalizing and de-criminalizing a variety of things. Marijuana, drunk driving, even TCAP preds. I, for one, do not believe that decriminalization is right for things that are not to be encouraged. The purpose of criminalizing a behavior is to prevent someone from doing something. Ergo, something that should not be done should be criminalized. The argument is that individuals will do something, even if it is criminalized. But, I think that typically, if something is criminalized, most people will either not do it, or will do it less, particularly if those individuals know that this law will be enforced.
A lot of people talk about how anti-drug PSAs are dumb or ineffective, because they somehow cause people to want to do engage in an activity they believe is taboo. But, isn't the government (and society in general) obligated to try to publicly inform people to not do things that are against their health? Isn't the individual's fault for being reckless if they intentionally do something bad, for the sake of doing something bad, because someone told them it isn't good for them?
I do believe that the penalties for breaking the law should not be excessive. But cases of excessive enforcement are fairly rare, at least for first time offenders. Further, if we would like to live in a nice society, this means frequently applying small laws that, at least in the USA, are rarely enforced. Citations for speeding in residential areas (Not just on the highways), citations for overgrown lawns, citations for paint peeling from a house, all of these things are necessary because without them, no one who is unethical has an immediate incentive to do the right thing. Some people are unethical. They will do bad things if it is convenient for them. We need the law to ensure those people do not harm people who are ethical.