Originally Posted by Moe Zhoost

Our world is full of laws and regulations that attempt to control behaviour through some seemingly unrelated artifice. This is usually intentional to give the authorities leverage when they feel that it should be applied. I won't say that such strategies are horrible; I think they can be applied in an effective and fair manner. However there are many times when they are used too frequently and for the wrong reasons.



We have what we have. Remember that the folks who brought you such laws were voted into office by a majority of your neighbours.

Originally Posted by wphamilton

There is no legitimate theory of jurisprudence to support this idea, that you have laws to control behaviors unrelated to the law. Any "authority" who makes a habit of applying "leverage" as "they feel" when the behavior is outside of the legal framework is engaging in textbook abuse of office. He needs to be stripped of office and, in egregious cases, prosecuted for abuse of power.

And to the poster who opines that I made it up, here is an explicit example of someone who thinks repressive ordinances are fine as a pretext to give someone a comeuppance when the law doesn't or isn't applied.