Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Ten things that should be legal

It has been a popular topic for discussion in certain political circles lately, which bans are stupid, or if bans are stupid at all. It started with the leader for the social liberal youth party, Sveinung Rotevatn, who published a list of 21 things he wanted to allow. Now, I totally agree with his sentiment, but I could not agree less with most of the list itself. Therefore, I have created my own list of things I want to allow, borrowing some from Sveinung and bringing up some of my own.

Water Scooters
Water scooters are fun boats, and if people use them irresponsibly, we should stop the irresponsible use rather than the vessel itself.

Bringing liquids through airport security
Airport security is not at all proportional to the risk of terrorist attacks. We should start easing up the security hysteria by allowing passengers to bring their sunscreen and chocolate milk through security.

Breeding Rabbits
I see no reason why breeding rabbits for fur is any different from breeding any other animal for fur. If rabbits are tortured in breeding, we should stop the torture, not the breeding.

Segway
Moving from one place to another can be tiring for some people, so why not allow them to use a Segway?

Walking the dog without a leash in certain areas
The vast majority of dogs do not need a to be in a leash to behave properly. Every municipality should allow some part of their land to be free for walking dogs without a leash. For instance, Bergen could allow this on Løvstakken and Blåmannen. Of course, the owner of the dog will still be 100% responsible for the dog's actions.

Hunting with bow and arrow
Bow and arrow is an old and historic way of hunting. And The Hunger Games was an excellent movie. I vote that we allow it.

Right turn on red
It is effective, easy to learn, and is used in other countries with success. Why not give it a try?

Biking across a pedestrian crossing
Biking should be convenient and legal. No reason to have a law that nobody follows anyways.

Dual citizenship
In many families, the most natural state would be to have citizenship in more than one country. The disadvantages are few, and it works elsewhere. I say go for it!

Voting for 16-year olds
16-year olds are interested in politics, and care about the society, probably more than many older people do. I say we give them a vote.