As the total volume of laws and regulations grows exponentially, several things happen.
First, it becomes impossible to comply with all of them. Ayn Rand already recognized this:
"There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws."
But it's no longer possible to enforce all laws and regulations either. Enforcement necessarily becomes selective, and thus an additional revenue stream for those unscrupulous enough, and additional burden on everyone else (well, at least those without connections).
Corruption isn't accidental, it's built into the system. And when it becomes ubiquitous, no one even wants to stop this slow-motion trainwreck anymore.
As the total volume of laws and regulations grows exponentially, several things happen.
First, it becomes impossible to comply with all of them. Ayn Rand already recognized this:
"There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws."
But it's no longer possible to enforce all laws and regulations either. Enforcement necessarily becomes selective, and thus an additional revenue stream for those unscrupulous enough, and additional burden on everyone else (well, at least those without connections).
Corruption isn't accidental, it's built into the system. And when it becomes ubiquitous, no one even wants to stop this slow-motion trainwreck anymore.
Yeah, spot on. The average American commits around 3 felonies a day without even knowing it.
The government could basically throw anybody in prison if they decided to, just by enforcing some law nobody even knows about.