R.
Lee Wrights
Contributing Editor
R. Lee Wrights is a writer and political activist living in North Carolina. He is co-founder and editor-in-chief of the free speech online magazine Liberty For All and an editor at Free-Market.Net.
I
Am a Criminal
Yes, that’s right. I,
R. Lee Wrights, being of sound mind and aging body, do
solemnly acclaim and justly affirm that I am a criminal.
And, if I do my job correctly, by the time you finish
reading this you will realize that you are a criminal
also; and, that something needs to be done about it.
My premise is simply that government, not only at the
federal level but in particular at the state and local
level, has grown so gorged and bloated that it has become
virtually impossible for any of us to remain
"law-abiding citizens." In order to be
law-abiding, one must first know and understand the law.
Now I ask you, in today’s society how many people
really know, let alone understand, "the law?"
Moreover, how many policemen really know or, more
importantly, understand the law? Do the lawyers and
judges, who are charged with the protection of
America’s most sacred document, even understand the
law? Judging from the number of appealed judgments these
days, it would appear that even these "protectors of
justice" are unable to effectively untangle the
thicket of jurisprudence created by the endless loads of
fertilizer produced by the various legislatures.
Just the number of laws one would have to familiarize
themselves with in order to become adequately
knowledgeable makes the task near to impossible. Why, we
would all have to go to law school just to get to a
proper starting point of understanding the law. Last
year, in North Carolina alone, 519 new laws were passed
by the General ASSembly. Sixty new laws took affect in
the Old North State on January 1st of this year. Add
these to the tens of thousands of laws already on the
books and you begin to see the enormity of the endeavor
to properly understand justice and how its principles are
to be applied. And that is just in one state, folks. I
wonder how many "new" laws have been instituted
where you live this year?
Still skeptical? Take an afternoon and go to the nearest
law library. Even the name "law library" should
send a chill down any thinking person’s spine. I am
not talking about a corner of your local public library
where you’ll find a shelf or two stocked with
reference books about a particular subject. No, I mean a
whole library devoted to cataloging all the things you
and I are not allowed to do. Whole rooms filled
wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling with a seemingly
endless array of laws, statutes, and regulations. Shelf
next to shelf, volume upon volume, and page after page,
creating a twisting, turning maze of decisions, rulings
and appeals. This is where you go when you seek
comprehension of the chains that fetter your pursuit of
happiness. Have a seat and look around at what you must
learn if you really want to be an honest, up-standing,
law-abiding citizen.
Government has simply made it too easy to break the law
for us not to be criminals. I mean, you are required to
have a license or permit to do practically everything.
That means that you must go to a bureaucrat somewhere and
ask their permission before you proceed or you become a
criminal. If you want to drive to work, you must first
have a paper from the State that says you are allowed to
operate a vehicle. If you want to improve your home, you
are required to go downtown and stand before your elected
rulers and beg their indulgence so that you can add that
patio or finish your basement. If you want to get a job
to support your family, you cannot do so without a number
supplied by the benevolent nannies that soil the seats of
CONgress. How long does this list have to be before you
realize that if you have to ask permission to do
everything, not only will you eventually slip up and
become a criminal, but you have also ceased to be free?
With every new law enacted another little piece of
liberty dies.
Perhaps nothing exemplifies my point more so than a
personal experience I had about 6 or 7 years ago. I was
invited by a friend to accompany him on a fishing
expedition to one of the local lakes owned by the county
where we both reside. Being the careful individual that I
am, I researched the laws concerning wildlife management,
as well as, the regulations adopted by the county. I
found that if I only fished using live bait, the law did
not require that I obtain a fishing license as long as I
remained in the county of my residence. I was very
pleased with myself that I had found a way to save a few
bucks on what promised to be an enjoyable outing.
However, the day was not to go unspoiled. Not long after
we had launched our boat and found what we thought looked
like a promising spot, we were approached by a game
warden. I remained unconcerned as we chatted and I
proudly showed him that I was only using live bait and
therefore required no state sanction. He asked for proof
of my residence, which I supplied via business cards and
a recent tax bill that I was going to pay on my way home.
It was then that he informed me that I was in violation
of state law. I was beginning to protest that I was in
full compliance of the wildlife management code when the
warden told he was not referring to the wildlife code. It
was then that I learned I was in violation of state law
for appearing in public and not possessing a picture ID.
At that moment, the veil was lifted from my eyes as my
day of personal enlightenment dawned.
I realized that every time I set foot off of my own
property, I became a criminal. I violate the law each and
every time I take a leisurely stroll around my
neighborhood. In almost half a century on this earth, I
have never been arrested, much less convicted of a crime;
and yet, all I have to do to become a criminal in the
eyes of the State is leave home! Why? Because I do not
have a snapshot of myself, taken by a state-sanctioned
bureaucrat, in my pocket when I go out in public. I must
ask you, am I really free? Are you really free? Are your
papers in order? Are you a criminal?
There are laws regulating everything from what color you
can and cannot paint your house to what kind of sex in
which two consenting adults are allowed to engage. Why is
it like this? Crime is big business, that’s why. In
fact, crime is government’s biggest industry.
Surprised to see me say that? It really isn’t all
that odd when you consider that the State derives revenue
on both sides of the law. Remember, all those licenses
and permits you are required to obtain are accompanied by
fees. While on the flip side, every breech of the
never-ending, self-perpetuating, always-growing
bureaucracy carries a fine. You are forced to pay in
order to abide by the law so you can avoid having to pay
for breaking the law.
Therefore, as the beast has grown, it has become the
State’s own self interest that drives legislators to
constantly search for new sources of revenue. That’s
why 519 laws were passed in my home state last year. That
is why 500 new laws will probably be passed this year,
and again next year, and again the year after that. The
only way a government can realize greater income than it
does today is either by accelerating tax increases; or,
by creating new ways for us to become criminals and
providing the appropriately-priced bounties required to
avoid becoming criminals. So you see, every new law not
only nibbles away at your freedom while further gorging
an already bloated beast Bureaucracy, it also becomes a
new source of revenue for the State.
So, we are left with the question, "What can been
done about it?" Take my advice, do yourself a favor
and educate yourself. Do a little digging and find out
all the different options made available to you, by your
friends in government, for becoming a criminal. Then
perhaps we will see the emergence of what is needed to
reverse the encroachment of the law - Reform. You have to
get fed up with the foolishness of endless legislation
and do something. Speak against further regulation at
every opportunity in any venue that opportunity provides.
Run for public office as a truly reform-minded candidate,
or support such candidates wherever they can be found.
One thing is for certain; there will never be reform
without reformers willing to make a fight if necessary.
Or at least a group of decent, honest people that are
just sick and tired of being criminals. Come on folks,
enough is enough!
