>It sounds to me like the problem is the number of obscure laws, the vagueness of the offenses, and the lack of mens rea requirement.
You're right. There is another issue, though, relating to the massive power of the central government.
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Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
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The US was designed to be a Federal system, with all non-delegated powers belonging to the states, not the central government.
Besides the fact that our nation is meant to have a small Federal government, it is easier to manipulate and fight unjust laws at lower levels of government than the behemoth that is Washington, DC.
You're right. There is another issue, though, relating to the massive power of the central government. --- Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. ---
The US was designed to be a Federal system, with all non-delegated powers belonging to the states, not the central government.
Besides the fact that our nation is meant to have a small Federal government, it is easier to manipulate and fight unjust laws at lower levels of government than the behemoth that is Washington, DC.