Today’s quote of the day comes from Professor Don Boudreaux
law is not at all the same thing as legislation. Law deserves far more respect (although, still, not respect given mindlessly) than does legislation; indeed, legislation, by its very nature, is frequently used to break the law. For example, Jim Crow legislation in the late 19th-century American south broke the law that effectively enforced racial desegregation on streetcars.
One of the greatest dangers unleashed by modern language is the treatment of “legislation” and “law” as synonyms for each other – and, hence, the bestowal on legislation of the genuine respect that is due to law.
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