Section 4: Out of the Underground

Ok, confession. I didn't read this section very carefully because I was in Jamaica and a guy was teaching me Patois while I was trying to read.

But what I did see was a lot about Coolidge and Clinton and Reagan's ideas on small government. And nothing very good about it either. A lot of economic talk about how the black market saps money out of the real market and how the areas of the U.S. that are seedy areas full of black market activity resemble those of poor, chaotic, crime-ridden countries instead of one of the richest nations on Earth. This part is where Schlosser puts forth a real opinion calling for fewer laws regarding regulation and restriction of drugs, goods, porn, whatever else the black market provides with combined strictness enforcing the rules. And consistency.


I suppose that since Schlosser is pretty much pro at this economic/government stuff his theories are right, but I'm not sure I agree with them. I think laws need to be more lax and more logical. I  mean, use your brain here, referring to the case again about the 1.6 grams and the fines of ridiculous proportion. What kind of judge is going to go that far to punish a lawyer smoking a J? A judge who isn't working on anything important with his life, that's who. It's just plain stupid. I call for laws that are rational, fair, logical, and flexible from case to case. No more minimum punishments. No more idiots working in the system. (ok that's too much to ask, sorry.) NO MORE RELIGION IN THE GOVERNMENT! Smart people is what I'm asking for. Normal people. People who don't have personal vendettas and personal agendas. GOOD, FAIR PEOPLE. Isn't that who is supposed to be running the system anyways?

Idealistically I would call for an entire remodeling of the justice system, meaning the laws and the people working inside it. Complete review. Strip it down like Schlosser suggests, but also make it more relevant to the times and the average person. Then add the other stuff I call for in the previous paragraph and maybe you've got a system that isn't plain stupid.