Newsgroups: ont.general
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Lawbreakers (was Radar Detectors (was Highway Driving Rules))
Message-ID: <1989May17.163043.19112@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <9584@watcgl.waterloo.edu> <3217@looking.UUCP> <3225@looking.UUCP> <264@sickkids.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 17 May 89 16:30:43 GMT

In article <264@sickkids.UUCP> mark@sickkids.UUCP (Mark Bartelt) writes:
>>                                                          there must be
>> something wrong with a law if most people don't adhere to it.
>
>Perhaps.  But then why isn't the law changed?  ...

Typically because either (a) the legislators (or their leaders) disagree
with the majority's wishes and ignore them, or (b) they are terrified of
vocal pressure groups who oppose changes.  Often both.

Item (a) is not *necessarily* a bad thing -- representative democracy is
a different form of government from pure democracy, not just a way of
implementing the latter -- but often turns out that way.
-- 
Subversion, n:  a superset     |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
of a subset.    --J.J. Horning | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu