If you could repeal/change one law (local or national) what would it be and why?
 

ONE law.

I would like to make nudity completely legal. I don't think it should be a crime or an offense to go naked. If I want to sunbathe naked, I should be able to.

New York currently allows women to go topless, but it is such a taboo that nobody actually does. One woman decided to "do it for science" and submitted her experience to Nerve.com. The result was that she wasn't bothered very much, but while men were very respectful of her, women were very snickery and bitchy. When she left the sunbathing area of the park she was in, she was told that she could be cited.

I think everything would be more effective if the law were changed to allow complete nudity for everyone. I would think that men would be the first to adapt, but women would follow suit soon after. We can banish tan lines from existence! (Ok, we can keep them.. they're hot.)

What is your one law?

Most of my complaints with the law lie in how it's applied (or not applied).

As far as repealing, I'd make drugs legal, so long as they're manufactured/grown safely (no meth labs in residential areas) and consumed safely (DUI still in effect).

Bah. Nudity or weed. Nudity or weed.

I can't decide!!

I'd change the First Amendment to specifically and explicitly state that there is a separation between church and state.

I defiantly think that weed should be legal!!

I'd agree with inBOIL, repeal of drug laws would be my #1. I'm not a user myself, but I see way too much law enforcement and prison dollars being wasted on the 'war' against drugs. My views on drugs are pretty libertarian, do what you want and leave other people alone.

Legalize it. Tax it. Quit burning and rights fighting weed.

I like that, but I think I'd rather have weed.

Wow, I was thinking the same: weed, and other "safe-enough" drugs (I know, slippery slope, but I think there should be an understanding of how dangerous drugs are, in terms of addictiveness/risk of overdose).

Maybe in a few years my choice of a law would change. Keep in mind, this one I would just change to make my(and others like me) life easier. I don't think people should have to worry about going to jail for smoking something they could grow.

If the purpose was for a better country (IMO), I would probably outlaw lobbies, more specifically them funding politicians. It's just not right.

Should marijuana really be the most important law on your (everyone's) list? There are people starving, we're involved in two military conflicts, the economy is in the tank—and no, marijuana taxation couldn't even hope to cover a tiny fraction of the deficit—, and the far right is losing it's shit. I realize marijuana laws are entirely hypocritical and are the result of corruption and ignorance, but shouldn't we prioritize the biggest problems first?

I'm too happy with the way things are right now.

There are other stupid laws like sodomy, monogamy, gay marriage etc etc but I only get one law so I can't really pick.

I find it interesting that very many of you jumped onto drugs. WTF is wrong with the USA culture and substance abuse? There is a disorder for everything. You can't eat right? Your sick, you can't sleep right? Your sick, you do badly in school but bully other students, you are sick!!

Fuck that bullshit. You guys need to get your priorities in order and I am NOT raising my children (if I ever have any) in the USA!!

---------- Post added at 02:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:55 PM ----------

Thank you willravel.

Purely selfish answer: the laws defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

As I said...that would be the law I'd change for myself. It doesn't mean, that, given a choice, in real life, I wouldn't rather do something to promote better health, equality, civil rights..etc. I'm just saying that for my own selfish purposes, it's something I would like to change.
If it were, say, a choice between universal health care and weed, I'd pick Universal Health care.
I don't know, it's a good question, but it's also very difficult to answer.

And what about wars? Are we gonna outlaw them? What could a law do?
Hunger? I don't know how people would take it if a law were put in place so that everyone had to pitch in to eliminate hunger.

Ah! That's another good one.

You guys are total sticks in the mud.

Fine.

Lobbyists would go, I have to agree with that. I hadn't even considered it, honestly. The implications of decisions without the influence of lobbyists is monumental.

I think weed was a big one because we want to have some fun in this boring ass society. A rebellion against the last 8 years of religious rule. The pastor's daughter is the worst, and all that.

I would ban (nationally) talking on cell phones while driving. Maybe it is worse because I live in a college town. I see countless numbers of idiots and soccer moms driving around making idiot moves and really not even knowing what they are doing or that they did anything wrong. What is so damn important that they have to talk while they are driving, and they can't wait the 5 minutes until they get home or wherever? It's a college town in Alabama. You are never that far from where you are going!

I guess I feel strongly about this.

I'd bring back enforcement of the (existing) Sherman Anti-Trust Law. The reason we're in such an economic shitstorm is because of all the monopolies created by Big Business and lack of competition in a world run by government-sanctioned cartels.

Look at the 2008 Sirius / XM merger - When you've got a FCC ruling that sees no threat of a monopoly when it allows the merger of the only two companies licensed to operate satellite radio programming, you've got blatant, out of control corruption.

just one law? dang.

USC 18. 922o - stricken from the books.

Really? Machine guns are your #1 priority?

Okay with me if they are, I guess, but I can sure think of bigger fish to fry.

Maybe if someone has chosen what you were going to pick you can either a) expand on their idea or b) add a new one. This is about rethinking our world, so you don't have to treat it like you only get one choice. I just don't want people listing 10 laws with a single line for each.

I'd repeal whatever laws make corporations de facto people so people who do horrible things (human rights violations, willful defrauding of people, etc) in a business setting can go to prison instead of hiding behind the whole mess of legalese.

The war on drugs is every bit as unjust as the Iraq war and has killed hundreds of thousands of people through our military assistance that countries like Colombia use to fight their internal political conflicts. For example, the Combat Methamphetamine act brought about a sharp decline in the number of meth labs seized in the US, leaving demand to be filled by foreign drug cartels who kidnap and murder our citizens and terrorize our border towns.
I swear it comes up every two weeks on TFP. Since Lawrence v. Texas, all sodomy laws are nullified. It's not illegal anymore.
Want an economic stimulus? Executive order stating that for the purposes of 922o, all machine guns owned by the US government prior to 1986 are considered "legally owned" and are to be retroactively registered.

as far as 'laws' go, there are way too many, so i chose one that would mean something to me.

If I could choose one supreme court case to repeal, it would probably be wickard v fillburn. I wouldn't mind cutting away the excess commerce clause power that the courts gave away to congress.

The federal reserve act.

Not all. Article 125 of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice still forbids sodomy. The United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces has ruled that Lawrence v. Texas only has limited application to military members. Specifically:

1. The conduct that the accused was found guilty of committing must be found to be of a nature to bring it within the liberty interest identified by the Supreme Court

2. The conduct must not encompass any behavior or factors identified by the Supreme Court as outside the analysis in Lawrence

3. There must not be additional factors relevant solely in the military environment that affect the nature and reach of the Lawrence liberty interest

The third is rather broad, and could be interpreted in various ways. Also note, that under UCMJ, Article 125 carries a maximum punishment of Dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for 5 years. This is more severe than the punishment for negligent homicide, extortion, assault upon a child under 16 years, and aggravated assault other than with a loaded firearm.

Sorry for the long explanation, I take a particular interest in how Constitutional decisions affect military members.

There are undoubtedly some fatalities in the war on marijuana, but it's quite different from the war on harder drugs.

Not a law but more an amendment to punishment. I would ban the nonsensical notion that remorse on the part of the accused has any bearing on the time to be served for a crime committed. Just because someone commits a crime and shows nice big crocodile tears, and probably not for their actions, doesn't mean they should get a discount on time when sentenced. I have always felt that is the greatest slap in the face to the victims and their families.

And early release due to good behaviour is another thorn in my side.

Apples and oranges but I didn't get a degree after 3 years having the university say to me, "Oh that's ok, you have straight A's, you don't need to do the fourth year, we'll give you the diploma now."

as far as the wars, they are unconstitutional.

Article 1 section 8 states the powers vested in congress and one of them, is to be able to go to war for only 2 years.

if we go back to our founding laws we would be good.

bad economy? well we can get rid of the FED and let the congress/treasury have the ability to coin money again.

but as far as a law, I would repeal the U.S being in Nato/UN.

We're not at war, both are authorizations to use military force. This was done intentionally so that we could occupy foreign nations for longer than 2 years.

BTW, the UN treaty is one of the few things that makes our invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan illegal. If we pull out of the UN, we (those against the wars) lose our legal footing.

if we pull out of the UN it will be illegal to be at war or invasion or whatever you want to call it.

then we would HAVE to pull out right?

but of course, this wont happen.

The UN Charter specifically makes it illegal to invade a country without provocation, and as the US has signed it as a member of the UN, we have broken a legal US treaty. If we leave the UN, we are no longer beholden to the UN Charter and are thus only policed by ourselves. We have no specific law against invading a country that only poses us a hypothetical threat.

I would repeal the Nebraska law that requires bartenders to brew a kettle of soup any time they are serving beer.

OMG, Last night I had this idea, I'd like to make a movie that's completely normal movie in every respect except everybody was naked. I think the first movie in the series should be a cop drama. It'd also have to really be for it to be taken seriously. I mean, a movie like Dogville that was on a stage with only outlines on the floor as buildings can work, why can't a film with people wearing no clothes?


I'd put an age restriction on religion.

I would repeal obscenity laws. I don't quite understand how you can have a law that uses something as vague as the idea of "community standards" determine what is legal or not. There is no way to know whether something is legal or not until you are on trial facing prison time under the current obscenity laws.

Like a few other laws, this is more about proper use and regulation than outright repeal but until I see it used properly, eminent domain should go.

I can't remember one use of this law, at least anywhere around me, that was used for a good purpose. The most recent threat to use the law around here was so the city could demolish two houses to expand a parking lot. It never came to that but I was disappointed that the city thought that extending a parking lot a few feet was worth acquiring these properties.

eh.. I don't care how unimportant it seems to some..

LEGALIZE IT.

I see so many people getting busted and sent to prison for small amounts of pot it's ridiculous. Prisons are overcrowded with people with minor drug offenses and the prisons can't be used for serious offenders. When a dope dealer gets more time and/or probation than someone who took a manslaughter plea, there's something wrong there.

yes because the USA is the only country that has substance abuse issues and the pandering to so called disorders. :rolleyes: