<aside>
Don'cha just hate it when states copycat each others' laws? I think this is borne of the "Career Politician" syndrome, where politicians have to "do something" to justify their re-elections, so they grab laws from other states and introduce copied versions. "It passed in XYZ, so why not here in UVW-land?"
Just so they could point to it as an "accomplishment" for their constituents.
Same thing happens with large cities and their suburban satellite cities. The little towns surrounding the Big Burg often have identical laws and ordinances as the Big Burg --good or bad.
"Well, XYZ doesn't allow out-of-state nonresident permits, why shouldn't we here in UVW-land ban them, too?"
I've often dreamed thusly....
(1) We should have absolute term limits of two three-year terms, even for dog catchers. This would allow them to learn some of the good "ropes" in their first term, and apply them in their second term, without giving them time to catch on to the bad "ropes" --like generating porkbelly laws.
(2) Every law ought to have an expiration date not to exceed 5 years. This would keep them so busy re-passing old good laws that they won't have time to pass new bad ones. In addition, the boredom associated with this re-passing would discourage anyone from actually seeking politics as a career.
(3) With any new law that is proposed it should be required that two old laws be repealed before passage of the new one is allowed.
(4) The Committee system of reviewing bills before submitting them to the floor should be abolished. Any new bills should be submitted to the floor directly without recommendation or approval by any Committee, since (A) Committees were set up to save time, and the object here is to
not save time for the Legislative body, see Point 2 above; and (B) Committees concentrate power in the hands of a few "old timers" in the Legislative body, see Point 1.
(5) Legislative sessions should be limited to ten days... preferably over national 3-day holiday weekends, so we have time to keep a close eye on them.
I like good dreams.
</aside>
Terry de Tocqueville, 230RN
