Comment by Xcelerate
10 days ago
> If you can show that someone else was doing the same thing without being charged then the prosecution either has to charge them too or that law is struck down
I’ve often thought this about laws involving speed limits. When 95% of the people driving in a major downtown area are technically breaking the law, what is the purpose of the law but to target whoever you like then? Either enforce it unilaterally or come up with new laws.
Going after every possible case would be staggeringly expensive for marginal gain, the cost society would massively exceed the benefits. Yes the system as it is that relies on discretion, but there’s always discretion involved, and we rely on separation of powers, public pressure, etc to act to try and correct excesses. Of course that is not guaranteed to work, and won’t work perfectly, but no system will. Societies are dynamic systems.
It’s all well and good until the person who has that discretion comes after you personally.