Good legislation is concise legislation

In 1657, Blaise Pascal famously wrote “Je n’ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n’ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte.” (“I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter.”)

Starting with our primary school language classes, we are taught that good writing is clear, concise writing.

So why do salaried politicians believe that they need to keep creating many new long, opaque laws, to prove they are doing their job?

Like good writing, good legal code is simple, clear, concise legal code.

The legislators are doing their job when the legal code in effect is the shortest possible which protects people’s life, limb, property and liberty.