Accretion of laws

Legislators legislate. Of course. And the body of law grows ever more complex, as they create laws to modify laws that were written for situations outlived, outdated, outmoded, or simply outgrown.

It would take a revolutionary, or truly an outlaw, to say, “Instead of adding to, let’s pare away. Let’s reexamine what we are doing, and see if we can do more with less.”

Marriage laws, for example. Let’s get government out of the “marriage” business. Where’s the gain, there, anyway? Drug laws. Wage laws. Entitlement laws. Morality laws.

The right to face consequences is a golden thing. We’d truly like to see the “Outlaw committee to reduce the complexity of laws in Oregon.”

But then, all the outlaws are busy fly fishing the Deschutes or car racing at PIR or writing poetry on 23 Avenue or shooting birds in Hepner.