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Why Do Minor Laws Protect American Society

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Since the creation of the United States, there have been minor crimes that, while not as horrible as felonies, still pose a threat to American society and order. Frank Trippett makes the excellent point that in recent years, many of these minor laws have not been followed by many Americans. He also argues that these laws exist to protect American society, and that people nowadays see no need to obey all of the laws. This argument that breaking any law hurts American society and order is correct, because many people have little to no respect for the laws placed above them, there is a common sentiment that something is okay as long as it does not affect anyone else, and because a large number of people breaking what may seem like a minor law can make a major impact. …show more content…
For example, I have had the misfortune to know a large number of people who do illegal things such as illegal drugs, underage drinking, underage driving of underage passengers, or any combination of the three. Many of these people attempt to justify their actions by claiming that they probably will not get caught, so the law does not matter. While it may be true that there is a relatively low percentage of people who break these laws that actually get caught, there is still a reason that these laws were put in place. Ignoring these laws leads to a disrespect for authority, which leads to much greater problems, which have presented themselves in many recent cases, in which there is a common theme of resisting arrest and disobeying the orders of law enforcement, which can ultimately lead to the criminal’s death. Laws are put in place for the safety of the people, and disrespecting some laws can cause, has caused, and will cause a sentiment of disrespect towards authority and the law in general, which lead to even greater

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