[arcticbull]

That's not always true though, the answer is to be judicious and only to restrict things that really matter. For instance, the rivers used to literally be on fire, and thanks to regulation, they're not! I'd call that a win for regulation. I think we're all on the same page (except for the current administration) that dumping things that make people sick into the river is bad. I'm fine with omniscient enforcement of that kind of thing.

On the other hand, some things are illegal not for proactive enforcement purposes but to ascribe liability, like jaywalking. That kind of stuff really shouldn't be enforced. But should it be legal? Probably not. Sounds like there's room for a third class of "legal."