The first and obvious rule is that legislation should be no broader or longer than necessary . Omnibus health care reform was a socialist nightmare, omnibus spending bills are pork barrels on steroids, and the omnibus crime bills are intrusions on personal freedom beyond Orwell's darkest dreams. No legislation should be written which addresses more than one concern, and the overall goal should be to write as few laws as possible. As a nation, our goal should be to have national legislation that mimics the clarity and brevity of these codes. Complex Systems Complex systems that work invariably arise from simple systems that work.
Automobiles are collections of wheels, axles, pistons, cylinders, spark plugs and so on.
Likewise, the Environmental Protection Act, the Social Security Act, the laws that cover Equal Opportunity, the S.E.C., the Federal Reserve, and so forth are behemoths. They have created immense bureaucracies, cumbersome regulations and draconian penalties for non-compliance. Every system is perfectly designed, carefully maintained and precisely operated to give you exactly what you get. Prohibition did not create the sober, moral citizenry that the lawmakers hoped to raise. Legislation does not prevent crime, disease or immorality.