Post by Bret Walker on Aug 11, 2002 11:04:38 GMT -5
First, read this quote. It's a paragraph from Page 411 of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand:
This exchange took place regarding certain restrictions the government had placed on the sale of Hank Rearden's ground-breaking product, Rearden Metal, a metal that is lighter and stronger than steel, one that doesn't corrode and requires ΒΌ the amount to build projects such as span bridges for railroads. Rearden had broken the law by selling 4,000 tons of Rearden metal to his friend Ken Dannagger for his mines, in exchange for Dannagger to give him more coal for the furnaces that produce Rearden Metal. Dr. Ferris, a government official with the National Science Institute, was blackmailing Rearded for 5,000 tons of Rearden Metal using the knowledge that Rearden had broken the law, and faced a $10,000 fine and 10 years in jail (the book was written in 1957, so $10,000 was worth much more than it is today).
Anyway, this exchange got me to thinking about other laws that have been written with the purpose of creating criminals, to give the government more power. Laws such as Prohibition, the 55 MPH speed limit, while on the surface were written to protect the US population, seem to me in fact to be regulatory controls put into place to give the law enforcers something to do. Prohibition did nothing more than make a whole new underworld, one where innocent people were killed in the exchanges between warring factions, much like kids caught in the crossfire between drug dealers fighting for territory today. Instead of protecting the people, Prohibition only served to put people in more danger.
And this makes me wonder about some of the drug laws today. There's been a lot of talk of legalizing Marijuana for decades, but the government would relinquish some of their control over the population if those laws were repealed. So the question remains, if the law is in place in order to give law enforcement something to do, then what good is it really doing to protect the innocent?
"Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We want them broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against -- then you'll know that this is not the age for beautiful gestures. We're after power and we mean it. You fellows were pikers, but we know the real trick, and you'd better get wise to it. 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. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted -- and you create a nation of law-breakers -- and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Rearden, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with."
This exchange took place regarding certain restrictions the government had placed on the sale of Hank Rearden's ground-breaking product, Rearden Metal, a metal that is lighter and stronger than steel, one that doesn't corrode and requires ΒΌ the amount to build projects such as span bridges for railroads. Rearden had broken the law by selling 4,000 tons of Rearden metal to his friend Ken Dannagger for his mines, in exchange for Dannagger to give him more coal for the furnaces that produce Rearden Metal. Dr. Ferris, a government official with the National Science Institute, was blackmailing Rearded for 5,000 tons of Rearden Metal using the knowledge that Rearden had broken the law, and faced a $10,000 fine and 10 years in jail (the book was written in 1957, so $10,000 was worth much more than it is today).
Anyway, this exchange got me to thinking about other laws that have been written with the purpose of creating criminals, to give the government more power. Laws such as Prohibition, the 55 MPH speed limit, while on the surface were written to protect the US population, seem to me in fact to be regulatory controls put into place to give the law enforcers something to do. Prohibition did nothing more than make a whole new underworld, one where innocent people were killed in the exchanges between warring factions, much like kids caught in the crossfire between drug dealers fighting for territory today. Instead of protecting the people, Prohibition only served to put people in more danger.
And this makes me wonder about some of the drug laws today. There's been a lot of talk of legalizing Marijuana for decades, but the government would relinquish some of their control over the population if those laws were repealed. So the question remains, if the law is in place in order to give law enforcement something to do, then what good is it really doing to protect the innocent?
