Sometimes the government oversteps the
boundaries of what most people would consider to be reasonable, usually when a small but vocal minority get upset about a specific issue. While many of these regulations are laughable, they have often had real impact on real individuals and
families. The great writer Neil Gaiman once said the following in his blog, “The Law is a huge blunt weapon that does not and will not make distinctions between what you find acceptable and what you don’t. This is how the Law is made.” Case in point, 25 Stupid Government Regulations That Will Make You Shake Your Head.

25. Rain falls from the sky, freely. Some local
or state governments have a problem with
that. In 2012, a man in Oregon was
sentenced to 30 days in jail for collecting
rainwater on his property (in a pond). In
the state of Oregon, the government owns
the rain, and you have to have a special
permit to collect and hold it. Other states
have laws against rain barrels, which is a
huge plastic barrel, usually with an
attached filter, that's used to collect
rainwater and then water gardens. The
important thing to note is that the
government can't charge for rainwater
freely collected.

24. Even front yard lemonade stands aren't
immune to over-regulation. Sorry, kids.
They count as a business, and you need a
permit for that, and professional
equipment, and a stand that's up to local
building code. To sell lemonade. There are
numerous stories of this happening all
over the country, but one with a sweet
ending is Annabelle Lockwood, of
California, who was told she needed $3,500
of professional restaurant equipment and
a permit. A go fund me was set up, and the
internet paid for the permit, but think of all
the better things $3,500 could have been
spent on.

23. There is a processed FrankenMeat known
as Turkey Ham. It's processed bits of
Turkey and Ham smushed together. And
it's illegal to sell it with a label of "Ham
Turkey" or to have the words "Ham" and
"Turkey" in different fonts. Yep. Not just
illegal, it's a FEDERAL crime.

22. It's a federal crime to consult with a known Pirate. A person known to be a pirate, not necessarily a person actively in the act of pirating.

21. Florida (uh, accidentally) banned all
computers and smart phones in cafes.
There's a problem in Florida with internet
cafes basically being digital slot machines
for old people to pour their money into. In
an attempt to curb these questionable
businesses, the state government passed a
bill banning all internet cafes (this was
great for students and people without
computers, thanks), and because of the
way the bill was worded, it banned any
internet connected device in a cafe. Um, if
you're ever in a position to pass a law,
anywhere, please read it thoroughly. Twice.

20. A man in Pheonix, AZ, was fined and
threatened with jail time for holding
religious meetings in his home. Officials
said it was a fire issue. So instead of their
living room, they put up a small building in
the back - with proper permits. Then local
government said he didn't have exit signs
over the doors and safety ramps. Their
demands continued until he owed them
$12,000. Here's the issue: If he had a
detached garage, and had, say, a birthday
party, he wouldn't need these things; the
government wouldn't care. There have
been a few laws throughout the years that
try to regulate what you can or can't do in
your own home. If there are no regulations
against parties and other social gatherings,
why are there regulations against groups
of people meeting to discuss their religion?

19. It's a federal crime to injure a Government owned lamp. The law specifically states lamps.

18. It's illegal to dump raw sewage in the
ocean (cool), unless you have a permit.
(Not cool. Missing the point, perhaps.)
There are lots of things that are only
"wrong" or illegal until you pay the local or
state government for permission.

17. Parts of Florida *require* you to recycle,
with fines up to $1,000 for a violation.
While this is seemingly well meaning, it's
an example of big government enforcing
their morals - even "green" ones - on
everyone, and it just makes it gloriously
easy to fine everyone a bunch of money.
Other counties in other states have similar
laws on the books.

16. Kansas has no love for cat ladies. In parts
of the state, it's illegal to have more that
four cats per household. So, um, what
happens if your one cat has a litter of five
kittens?

15. If the city doesn't like your garden, they'll
tear it down as you watch in tears. That's
exactly what happened to a woman in
Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2012. The city code
enforcers said her garden (on her private
property, causing harm to no one) was in
violation of code because someone
complained about her yard. The garden -
including fruit and nut trees - was well
cared for and was the unemployed
woman's only source of income and most
of her food. Before a judge would see her,
the city ripped out her primary food source
and livelihood. Because a neighbor
complained. Kind of have to wonder how
those people sleep at night.

14. In Mississippi, it's illegal to be the parent of two or more illegitimate children. It's a law
that's been on the books since the 1940's,
and while it's obviously not enforced,
it...could be.

13. Food Trucks are a way for talented chefs
and entrepreneurs to bring amazing food
to the masses without insane overhead
and startup costs. They're also bogged
down by a LOT of regulations and fees and
permits. While this makes sense from a
food safety point of view, some states are
passing regulations that limit food trucks
parking too close to other restaurants,
allowing those restaurants to have a bit of
a monopoly, and making it harder for food
trucks to stay in business. This is an
example of government favoring a larger
business and offering them protection
from competition, know as protectionism.
If you don't want government in bed with
BIG businesses, it starts at a local level
with things like this. Let healthy
competition happen, and don't use the
government to strong arm your competition out of the market.

12. Texas passed a law in 2007 that required
computer repair technicians to have a
private investigator's license, which
requires a specific degree and multi-year
apprenticeship. Breaking this law could
result in up to $14,000 in fines and a year
in jail. While the author of the bill claims
it's being misinterpreted, broad sweeping
laws that are vaguely worded are a
horrible idea because they have,
historically, been used whenever someone
has an ax to grind. It also calls into
question weather or not the people who
write these laws are properly
knowledgeable in the field they're
attempting to legislate.

11. Some Human resources documentation
must be held onto forever. Not 50 years,
not 100 years, but forever. There are many
companies in the United States that are
over 100 years old, and hopefully there will
be more in the future. So employment
applications and offer letters from 100
years ago must be retained, legally.

10. No zombie wine for you. It's a federal
crime to sell wine with the word "Zombie"
in the brand name, specifically.

9. In Massachusetts, it's a law that children in daycare must brush their teeth after lunch. The government even provides (via tax dollars) toothpaste and toothbrush
holders. Sure, it's a great idea and all, but
a law implies the government will enforce
it via jail time and or fines. In case you
were wondering where the term "Nanny
State" comes from, it's stuff like this.

8. It's a crime to bring undocumented pig
semen across state lines to impregnate a
pig. So if you're a pig farmer in one state,
and your brother is a pig farmer in another
state, and you want to cross breed your
stock, the government needs to be all up in
the middle of that (with appropriate fees
paid, of course).

7. In Washington DC, you have to have a
license to give tours. Licensing and
regulation protecting larger established
businesses from competition, and using
government regulations to do so. Tour
Guides, really?

6. In Vermont, it's illegal to deny the
existence of God. That's pretty amazingly
anti-American. Also in Vermont, if a
restaurant uses colored margarine instead
of butter, it must be noted on the menu in
two inch high letters.

5. West Virginia has laws that prohibit
sleeping on trains. (What?) There's another
law that states if a train passes within one
mile of a town/neighborhood/community/
hobo camp consisting of more than 100
people, it must build a station and stop
there regularly. Sounds nice, but what if
you want to run a fast route direct shipping
train that happens to run through parts of
WV? Oh well.

4.In US National Forests, if you say
something to someone that makes them
hit you, you, the person hit are at fault. Not
the hitter. Domestic Abuse claims among
campers must be fun to sort out.

3. Philadelphia decided a few years ago to
crack down on businesses operating
without a license. Like bloggers. A $300
license, which was only $289 more than the
woman had made from her blog in the last
two years. Theoretically business tax pays
for the roads, etc, that allow a business to
operate. However, the internet is
maintained and run by private entities, so
there's not a justification for a business tax
on an internet based business such as a
blog, other than "Give us money because
we can make laws saying give us money."

2. Possibly the most well known stupid
government regulation - you can't buy or
sell raw milk. Raw milk is milk straight
from the animal; it hasn't been pasteurized
(or quick cooked). Yes, there's a small risk
associated, but considering the amount of
recalls in processed food for bacteria, raw
milk's risk is negligible. That doesn't stop
the government from raiding Amish farms
at 5 am to tackle that....dangerous milk
issue. This can result in fines, arrests, or
you know, the government seizing the
farm. SWAT like police raids on dairy
farms; this is your tax dollars at work.

1. This isn't a regulation that's held,
thankfully, but NYC tried to ban big gulps
because you know, people are fat and eat
too much sugar. While that's true, a lot of
people are fat and do consume too much
sugar, the government regulating your
sugar intake isn't going to fix that. Fat
people are aware that they're fat. This was
just pointless regulation where some
people thought that they knew better and
they should be allowed to force their idea
of better on everyone, using the government. If you're not free to make bad
choices (provided you aren't directly
harming anyone else), you aren't really
free.

Educative

America and pointless rules nobody will enforce