RNS Quote of the Day: 10/05/06

We seem to have achieved the worst of both worlds: A system of regulation that goes too far while it also does too little.

This paradox is explained by the absence of the one indispensable ingredient of any successful human endeavor: Use of judgment. In the decades since WWII, we have constructed a system of regulatory law that basically outlaws common sense. Modern law, in an effort to be “self-executing” has shut out our humanity.

The motives were logical enough: Specific legal mandates would keep government in close check and provide crisp guidelines for private citizens. But it doesn’t work. Human activity can’t be regulated without judgment by humans.

The Death of Common Sense – Philip K. Howard