With the excess of laws inundating our society, perhaps it’s time to call a halt to new laws. Of course, then how will politicians show their “productivity” and how “important” these elected officials are?
But before stopping all new laws, here are a few that should be passed before commencing on the new program.
For every law that’s passed, an old law must be repealed.
Each law must include a date when it expires. Not more than 10 years from the date of effectiveness.
To renew a law that is about to expire, it would take a 75 percent majority to renew it, rather than a simple majority.
To renew a law a second time, it would take a 90 percent majority to renew it.
Income tax withholding would be prohibited. The tax rates would not change, just that all income taxes would be due and payable on April 15. (Banks, credit card companies, and loan institutions should love this, as their services should be in great demand in early April of each year.) Voluntary payments could be made during the year and would allow you a discount on the taxes due for the year.
All primary elections would be scheduled for April 16, or the day after tax returns are due. When taxpayers realized how much they really paid, their memory and anger would still be fresh and spendthrift politicians would have difficulty playing the “frugal” card. And voters/taxpayers would have an immediate way, and someone on whom, to vent and direct their spleen and their anger. Term limits would probably not be needed. But maybe police protection would.
All amendments to laws must be germane to the law they are attached to.
Any law or amendment introduced during the week before the close of a session would automatically be ineligible to be voted upon until the next session.
All benefits/money allocated to a project must be identified with how much the sponsor’s district or state would receive from it, and the companies, governments, agencies, etc. that would profit from it must be specifically identified.
All current laws must be reviewed and any obsolete laws must be repealed or updated. Books have been written to collect the funny laws on the books, such as “It is unlawful to hitch a crocodile to a fire hydrant in Michigan,” cited in “More Crazy Laws” by Dick Hyman (Scholastic, 1992.)
The president and all governors would be allowed a line-item veto.
All elected officials and IRS employees must prepare their own income-tax returns.
All elected officials and heads of departments or agencies must take a class on basic economics before being sworn in. And pass it.
An annual inventory (or count) must be provided as to how many laws are on the books on December 31 of each year, including how many new laws were passed and how many laws were repealed.
These will never happen, but can you imagine the clarity, lucidity, simplicity, precision, intelligibility and transparency of what is really happening in our government and with our taxes?
Johnson is a Mountain View resident.
