Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utcsstat.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcsstat!laura From: laura@utcsstat.UUCP Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: 55mph and tailgateing Message-ID: <831@utcsstat.UUCP> Date: Mon, 8-Aug-83 17:36:17 EDT Article-I.D.: utcsstat.831 Posted: Mon Aug 8 17:36:17 1983 Date-Received: Tue, 9-Aug-83 00:59:36 EDT References: <118@ccieng5.UUCP>, <974@rlgvax.UUCP> Organization: U. of Toronto, Canada Lines: 46 Oz writes: Let me see if I have this correctly. If we think that a law is wrong, then we should just ignore it. OK. I think that the laws against murder are wrong, therefore should I ignore them? I think it wrong for NYC residents to have to support the snow removal of "people" in Rochester; after all, if you moved to Rochester you know you will have snow so you should have a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Sorry Brad, but your arguments sound like a GIANT case of rationalization. You want to drive fast, you know better then anyone else, so you will do it. NOTE: I AM NOT IN FAVOR OF THE 55 SPEED LIMIT, but I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT I CAN ARBITRARILY CHOOSE WHAT LAWS TO SUPPORT AND WHAT TO IGNORE. 55 mph may seem like a trivial place to take a stand, but everybody runs the risk of having their own personal morality come into conflict with the laws of the land. Having gone to considerable trouble evaluating the various facets of my morality I am in a rather good position to know why I think what is right is right, and what is wrong is wrong. Generally the laws and I agree. In many cases they do not. When they do not I feel that I must obey my own morality even if that means going to jail or paying a fine. A great many people believe that personal morality is not enough, and that we need a huge list of laws. they envision a world where everybody runs amok murdering, raping and pillaging as the ultimate in 'free society'. I question this view. Legislation seems necessary to protect freedoms because too many people are willing to sacrifice freedoms for apparant security. (later they often want their freedoms back.) For other instances I am not convinced that laws are a solution. I am not going to murder people because I think that murder is wrong. The law could condone murder but I would still be uninterested in murdering people. I see very little evidence that the laws of the land are actually being used by individuals as the basis for their morality. Most people's morality agrees with most of the laws of the land, but this is not an identical statement. In a democracy you would expect that laws reflect the morality of the majority. Murderers and rapists, speeders and income tax cheaters all have a personal morality which is contrary to that of the law. I am not certain that they are very different from you and I. Right now I am breaking a law against the number of electrical outlets any room can have. It does not matter that the law is 40 years old (I think) and that my apartment has good wiring - I am doing something illegal. Get a copy of the criminal codes for your area. See how illegal you are -- and wonder of the wisdom of our legal system in general. laura creighton utzoo!utcsstat!laura