Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Blindingly Obvious: Congress Accused of Making Too Many Vague Laws

The Heritage Foundation and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers are joining forces to get Congress to stop passing so many vague laws that can entrap the innocent and create opportunities for headline-grabbing prosecutors, according to this AP/Yahoo story. For example, did you know that it's a crime to make an honest mistake, such as forgetting the exact date you were hired, when filling out an application for FMLA leave according to the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act of 2005? Or if you were a mayor who used your political clout to secure a good table at a busy restaurant, you could be engaging in criminal behavior? As one reader commented:

Out of the 535 members of Congress, supposedly over 50% are lawyers. This leads to one of two conclusions:

1. Somehow we manage to elect really bad lawyers, or...

2. They deliberately write vague laws to create more billable hours for their buddies in private practice, and themselves when they leave Congress. (But that would be a conspiracy theory, wouldn't it?)

1 comment:

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