[sandworm101]

Sunset? So that after a few years people can do work on bridges without having to put up warnings? In a modern context, we wouldn't sunset a law saying that traffic lights be green and red, even though maybe in a few years we might want orange and pink. You dont mess around with safety warning standards.

[johngladtj]

We absolutely should sunset those laws.

If they are needed they can be voted upon again by parliament, and will no doubt pass.

In fact I would say not only should all laws have built in expiration dates, such expiration dates should be shorter the lower the percentage of votes in parliament it too to pass them!

If you can only get a 51% majority in parliament to pass a law, that law should not exist beyond that election.

[kelseyfrog]

I see you've never played Nomic. Laws that automatically self-destruct are a very clever way to create the conditions needed to win the game. You should try it some time.

[twixfel]

Sounds like a huge waste of time to me.

[Ekaros]

You do not remove them. But you should change them when environment changes. Straw bale was decent indicator back in the day. But I think there should be some more modern and even global standard that law could be changed to. And this should be done with reasonable planning, schedule and communication.

[maratc]

Decent indicator of what?

It could be, to the contrary, that the legislators have come up with "straw bale" as something that simply does not belong under the bridge, in order to raise the brows of the people navigating the river, and make them wonder what's going on, all that in order to draw their attention. If so, it serves its purpose even more as straw bales are getting less common.

[potato3732842]

If the law is actually valuable and there is political capital for its continuation then surely the legislative body can vote to extend it with minimal fuss.

[looperhacks]

If the law is useless and there is political capital then surely the legislative body can vote to abolish it with minimal fuss.

A bit tongue in cheek, of course - but I can't image the amount of unnecessary work regular continuation of _every_ law would cause. Time limits on laws are already a thing, but it shouldn't be a default.

[TRiG_Ireland]

What you're suggesting is that if the government is dysfunctional, useful safety standards get abolished. That seems counterproductive.