There are far too many laws in the u.s. and you can never know when you're breaking a law. And enforcement is often arbitrary and based on if the police want to harass/check you, or if they want to pile charges on top of another charge to get you to deal on a plea.
Some countries view laws as a failure of society. You don't pass a law until your society has failed in that way, and instead you use social norms/controls. For example, Switzerland has no minimum wage but has a moral minimum wage of around $50K (except for a few worker types)
The u.s. seems to view laws as a way to mold society into a vision. But you end up with way too many laws that you could never know.
> enforcement is often arbitrary and based on if the police want to harass/check you
This. Absolutely this. So many laws are only enforced if and when you've irritated a cop. There are so many laws in the US about so many stupid things that they can ALWAYS bust you for something if they want to. Always.
There's probably a handful of things they could charge me with on my drive home.
It doesn't take much to irritate a cop. Sometimes, the sight of or bare minimum interaction with you is enough to trigger irritation in a cop for reasons. So many laws are enforced solely because a cop thinks you don't look the part and look suspicious for, erm, reasons.
Unfortunately, these reasons are pervasive throughout the justice system so make sure you don't irritate a cop or it could cost you money, time and freedom.
Some countries view laws as a failure of society. You don't pass a law until your society has failed in that way, and instead you use social norms/controls. For example, Switzerland has no minimum wage but has a moral minimum wage of around $50K (except for a few worker types)
The u.s. seems to view laws as a way to mold society into a vision. But you end up with way too many laws that you could never know.