Lexichroma Artworks

How extensive is the law in the USA? In the case of criminal offenses, there are so many that the federal government has been unable to precisely count them. In 1983, the Department of Justice tried to count all criminal offenses. They could not produce a concrete number, but concluded there were “over 3,000”. Nearly 4 decades have passed since then, and that number is now closer to 5,000 criminal laws. How much legislation has Congress passed? Since 1789, there have been over 30,000 statutes passed. Each statute can be between 1 and over 1,000 pages long. The 111th United States Congress, for example, passed a total of 383 statutes in 2 years. One of these statutes was the Affordable Care Act, over 1,000 pages / 300,000 words long. These are a few examples. We are not even counting the amount of legislation from each State, executive orders, etc. The law is so complex, that not even the Department of Justice understands it fully, much less citizens. Even lawyers, who dedicate themselves to the study of the law, specialize in specific areas of the law, since no single lawyer can specialize in all of them. It’s that complex. Hundreds of billions of dollars and countless hours are spent each year navigating the law. A great amount of wealth could be recovered by simplifying the law. Excessive regulation makes nations poorer. Furthermore, the amount of laws is so excessive, that a situation could arise in which virtually everyone is guilty of something. This could lead to the abuse of power, in which a citizen is targeted, and a crime is “found” to convict them. Whoever studies history knows that this is no exaggeration. Finally, excessive rules undermine our freedoms. In some places, you can’t freely collect rainwater, tend a garden and do other essential human activities. Laws are essential for a functioning and civilized society. The law should exist to bring harmony and justice, not to diminish our wealth and our freedoms. The law should be simplified, for the benefit of you, me, and all. Creative Process The best symbol I could think of, representing the main source of legislation, is the United States Congress. “Red tape” is a term that defines rules and regulations that are excessive. These 2 concepts were combined, the artist patiently drawing excessive amounts of red tape emanating from Congress. Grey clouds were added, diminishing light, to portray the diminishing effect that excessive legislation has on society. Green trees are present, representing the beneficial effects that Congress has actualized upon society. The color palette is intentionally reduced, to create a very dramatic, powerful, and memorable effect upon the viewing consciousness.