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Inmates running the system
Don't make a federal case out of it
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Cato Institute
by Gene Healy
"With commerce clause limits eviscerated, almost anything can be a
federal crime. We've gone from a Constitution that mentions only
three federal crimes (treason, piracy, and counterfeiting) to a
federal criminal code with over 4,000 separate offenses, some of them
stunningly trivial. In 2002, President Bush signed legislation making
it a federal crime to move birds across state lines to engage in
fights. The ban on cockfighting joined such notable federal crimes as
interstate transport of unlicensed dentures (punishable by up to a
year in prison), tampering with an odometer (up to three years), and
pretending to be a member of the 4-H Club (up to six months). These
and other offenses larded throughout the U.S. code could make for an
interesting conversation with one's cellmate: 'What are you in for,
kid?'" (12/20/04)
Don't make a federal case out of it
----------
Cato Institute
by Gene Healy
"With commerce clause limits eviscerated, almost anything can be a
federal crime. We've gone from a Constitution that mentions only
three federal crimes (treason, piracy, and counterfeiting) to a
federal criminal code with over 4,000 separate offenses, some of them
stunningly trivial. In 2002, President Bush signed legislation making
it a federal crime to move birds across state lines to engage in
fights. The ban on cockfighting joined such notable federal crimes as
interstate transport of unlicensed dentures (punishable by up to a
year in prison), tampering with an odometer (up to three years), and
pretending to be a member of the 4-H Club (up to six months). These
and other offenses larded throughout the U.S. code could make for an
interesting conversation with one's cellmate: 'What are you in for,
kid?'" (12/20/04)
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