

22 Pounds of UAW Rules and Regulations (Literally) - Shamiq
http://laborpains.org/2008/12/12/22-pounds-uaw-rules-and-regulations/

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mdasen
So, all those workers voted on whether this was a good contract. I know I love
reading 2,000 pages of legal crap.

Frankly, I think contracts this long are stupid. Look at most of the
legislation in DC. It's so long that people can't (and don't) read it. The 342
page USA PATRIOT Act passed in a day. Sure, some people might be able to read
342 pages in a day, but I doubt any of them did.

I'm not against regulation or making clear what you're doing, but at a certain
point it gets ridiculous. People need to be able to understand the laws and
contracts that govern them.

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riobard
That 22 pounds will be the straw that broke the camel's back

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Devilboy
This kind of problem seems to be common these days. The IRS tax laws are so
complicated that experts are scared of it. The criminal legal system has so
many laws that even the government has lost count. And instead of trying to
get rid of the complexity, every year thousands of new laws and regulations
get added.

What a waste.

~~~
ckinnan
Complexity is deliberate in affairs of state. It provides politicians and
lobbyists with power and secrecy.

~~~
DanielBMarkham
Upmod on the parent for insight.

Criminal law has reached the point that cops can jail/get rid of about anybody
they choose -- as long as the person doesn't have a lot of money.

Tax law is so complex that only the super-rich (and perhaps chairman of the
House Financial Services Committee that writes the tax code) can comfortably
avoid most taxation. The rest of us are left in a murky "best-guess" status as
to what is allowed or not.

Back when the U.S. was getting started, many wanted a complex government like
the Europeans had. Thomas Paine, a firebrand, warned against such complexity.
When a tyrant oppresses you, he said, you know exactly whom to blame. When a
complex government oppresses you, there is no one person to blame, and you
continue to be more and more oppressed.

