52 New Laws Take Effect Today in North Carolina

I've quoted James Madison here before, but it bears repeating:

"It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they can not be read, or so incoherent that they can not be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man who knows what the law is today can guess what it will be tomorrow."--From The Federalist Papers 

Below is a list of the new North Carolina laws that go into effect today. Some are simple housekeeping. Some actually simplify the system (such as consolidating all of the rules on when a record can be expunged).

At least one is unenforceable... it's illegal to send or read text messages while driving. However, it's legal to make a phone call or use the built-in GPS on your cell phone for directions. So how is a police officer supposed to know if I just read a text message, as opposed to glancing at my phone to see who is calling me?

One makes a particular plant illegal... because that's worked so well in the case of another common plant that's illegal. And another makes the sale of glass tubes illegal. There's certainly no potential for abuse of that one, is there?   This is simply more of your tax dollars at work, in the War On (some) Drugs.

And the "Targeted Picketing" thing appears on it's face to be an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.



S.L. 2009-37 (HB 616) OFFENSE FOR PORTABLE TOILETS/PUMPER TRUCKS.
S.L. 2009-93 (HB 1327) SCHOOLS NOTIFIED OF CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION.
S.L. 2009-107 (HB 43) SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS/FAILURE TO DISCHARGE DUTY.
S.L. 2009-128 (SB 1000) MOTOR VEHICLE SIZE AND WEIGHT LAW CHANGES.
S.L. 2009-135 (HB 9) NO TEXTING WHILE DRIVING.
S.L. 2009-147 (HB 440) THE NICHOLAS ADKINS SCHOOL BUS SAFETY ACT.
S.L. 2009-179 (HB 315) PLEA BARGAIN DISCLOSURE.
S.L. 2009-203 (HB 1190) PRESERVATION OF DNA & BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE.
S.L. 2009-204 (HB 787) INCREASE PENALTY/REMOVE SERIAL NUMBER FROM GUN.
S.L. 2009-205 (HB 722) PARAPHERNALIA CONTROL ACT. (Editorial comment: this one makes the sale of glass tubes illegal.)
S.L. 2009-234 (SB 649) MODIFY SPEED ZONE RESTRICTIONS.
S.L. 2009-300 (HB 885) TARGETED PICKETING.
S.L. 2009-319 (HB 882) MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTION PROGRAM CHANGES.
S.L. 2009-333 (HB 1105) AMEND LAWS/REFRIGERATION CONTRACTORS.
S.L. 2009-335 (SB 817) INCREASE CHILD SUPPORT COLLECTIONS.
S.L. 2009-336 (SB 65) AMEND COMPUTER SOLICITATION OF CHILD.
S.L. 2009-344 (SB 307) REGULATE OWNERSHIP & USE OF CERTAIN REPTILES.
S.L. 2009-348 (SB 764) REAL ESTATE/SETTLEMENT AGENT EMBEZZLEMENT.
S.L. 2009-349 (SB 1076) MODIFY CRIMINAL JUSTICE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.
S.L. 2009-351 (HB 23) STRENGTHEN CHILD LABOR VIOLATION PENALTIES.
S.L. 2009-356 (HB 192) CHILD WITNESS TESTIMONY/PROCEDURES.
S.L. 2009-369 (HB 1185) HABITUAL DWI-REINSTATEMENT PETITION/10 YRS.
S.L. 2009-372 (SB 920) PROBATION REFORM.
S.L. 2009-379 (HB 1256) LARCENY OF A MOTOR VEHICLE PART.
S.L. 2009-380 (HB 1255) SEX OFFENDERS/PERMANENT NO CONTACT ORDER.
S.L. 2009-398 (HB 1077) VENUE/MUNICIPALITIES IN MULTIPLE DISTRICTS.
S.L. 2009-411 (SB 513) NOTICE OF HEARING/UNSUPERVISED PROBATION.
S.L. 2009-412 (SB 1078) DELAY BOND/PROBATIONER ARRESTED FOR FELONY.
S.L. 2009-415 (SB 713) REMOVAL OF ELECTRONIC MONITORING DEVICE.
S.L. 2009-417 (HB 1058) INCREASE STATUTORY HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
S.L. 2009-451 (SB 202) APPROPRIATIONS ACT OF 2009.
S.L. 2009-456 (HB 67) LICENSE PLATE FRAME/STATE NAME VISIBLE/STUDY.
S.L. 2009-460 (HB 1098) PROTECT SEARCH AND RESCUE ANIMAL.
S.L. 2009-491 (HB 1117) SEX OFFENDER CAN’T DRIVE BUS WITH CHILDREN.
S.L. 2009-498 (HB 209) SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY/LIBERTIES W/STUDENT.
S.L. 2009-500 (HB 926) CONTINUOUS ALCOHOL MONITORING SYSTEMS.
S.L. 2009-508 (SB 990) INCREASE PENALTY/TIMBER THEFT.
S.L. 2009-514 (HB 775) ALT. TESTIMONY/CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES.
S.L. 2009-516 (HB 1269) AOC OMNIBUS COURTS ACT.
S.L. 2009-517 (SB 853) MOTION FOR APPROPRIATE RELIEF/NEW REQUIREMENT.
S.L. 2009-528 (HB 889) CHANGE PENALTY FOR MISD. DEATH BY VEHICLE.
S.L. 2009-531 (SB 295) CLARIFY CLOSEST MARKET.
S.L. 2009-534 (HB 1111) CAMPAIGN FINANCE AMENDMENTS.
S.L. 2009-538 (SB 138) SALVIA DIVINORUM UNLAWFUL.
S.L. 2009-545 (SB 984) ACCESS TO JUVENILE RECORDS/VIOLENT OFFENDERS.
S.L. 2009-547 (SB 726) AMEND HOUSE ARREST LAWS/ADULT/JUVENILE.
S.L. 2009-551 (HB 1261) PROTECT OUR KIDS/CYBER BULLYING.
S.L. 2009-553 (HB 1387) SOLAR COLLECTORS ON RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES.
S.L. 2009-554 (HB 1135) QUI TAM/LIABILITY FOR FALSE CLAIMS.
S.L. 2009-555 (SB 489) EVEN OUT PRIOR CRIMINAL RECORD POINTS.
S.L. 2009-556 (SB 488) ESTABLISH PROPORTIONATE SENTENCE LENGTHS.
S.L. 2009-577 (HB 1329) CONSOLIDATE EXPUNCTION STATUTES.

Ouch!

I've been a lazy guy lately, and it's started to show. And with the holidays coming up, it's only going to get worse unless I force myself to do something about it.

So today at noon I headed over to the Y and started a new workout program: Stronglifts 5x5.It's hard to believe that a 40 minute workout with no weights on the bar could leave me feeling this much pain. Pain isn't really the right word... it's not the "Something is very wrong, call 911" kind of pain. Just the aches that result from working every muscle group to the point where it can't do another rep.

I just hope the results are comensurate with the soreness.

Where were you when wood became a felony?

This is what happens when congress passes legistlation that is so bloated and complex, we mere mortals are unable to comprehend all of it. The Farm Bill passed in 2008 contains provisions that make possession of wood a felony. Henceforth, all wood is to be a federally regulated, suspect substance. Either raw wood, lumber, or anything made of wood, from tables and chairs, to flooring, siding, particle board, to handles on knives, baskets, chopsticks, or even toothpicks has to have a label naming the genus and species of the tree that it came from and the country of origin. Incorrect labeling becomes a federal felony, and the law does not just apply to wood newly entering the country, but any wood that is in interstate commerce within the country.

And the Federal Government hasn't wasted any time in using this law to protect us from unlicensed wood:

Gibson Guitar Plant Raided by Feds

An international crackdown on the use of endangered woods from the world's rain forests to make musical instruments bubbled over to Music City on Tuesday with a federal raid on Gibson Guitar's manufacturing plant, but no arrests.

Agents of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service made a midday appearance and served a search warrant on company officials at Gibson's Massman Drive manufacturing plant, where it makes acoustic and electric guitars.

Gibson issued a statement saying it is "fully cooperating with agents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as it pertains to an issue with harvested wood." The company said it did nothing wrong.

363,000 Words

That's how long the latest version of the health care bill is.

That's 80 times longer than the Constitution (not counting amendments).

That's twice as long as the Bible.

Can anyone know everything that is in there? Can anyone possibly have read the whole thing? I think we can agree that the answer to those two questions is "no." It's just not possible for any single person to have read every word in that document at this time.

Given that we don't know what's in it, is it really a good idea to make it the law of the land? Would you sign a 363,000 word contract without reading it?

President Obama is not Evil

Dick Cheney is not evil, either.

THIS is evil.

What's wrong with this picture?

Taken during Veteran's day ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers:

Perverse Incentives

The unintended consequence of America's anti-poverty program is to penalize poor people for working. When you take into account the loss of means-tested benefits (e.g., cash assistance, food stamps, housing subsidies, and health insurance), and the taxes that people pay on earned income, the return to working is essentially zero for those in the lower two quintiles of the income distribution.

This chart (Source) shows income after taxes and transfers as a function of earned income. Below about $38,000, income after taxes and transfers is roughly flat. Indeed, it could even fall. The bottom line: If you are poor, the government is ensuring that you have little incentive to try to improve your condition.