Rule of Law

From wikipedia:

The rule of law (also known as nomocracy) is the legal principle that law should govern a nation, as opposed to arbitrary decisions by individual government officials. It primarily refers to the influence and authority of law within society, particularly as a constraint upon behavior, including behavior of government officials. The phrase can be traced back to 16th century England, and it was popularized in the 19th century by British jurist A. V. Dicey. The concept was familiar to ancient philosophers such as Aristotle, who wrote “Law should govern”

I often contemplate what a wonderful thing it is that we live in a society and country where the rule of law is prevalent.  There are many places in the world, and even different times in this nation, where that isn’t the case.  A common stereotype from Mexico might be having to bribe a policeman to avoid being taken to jail, as an example.

A good friend of ours is trying to rebuild a home in the foothills and is encountering much resistance from the county to get approval.  He submitted all the paperwork and is now waiting some weeks for the case to be reviewed and decided.  I suspect there are many places in the world where a cash payment under the table would facilitate a desired decision.  I’m so glad that is the rare exception here.  And I’m glad that such cases would be exposed by our free press and prosecuted, while the public would be outraged.

My employer (Intel) goes to great lengths to instill a similar ethic in its employees.  We are forbidden to accept gifts above a certain value or in certain situations.  And we are forbidden to offer gifts in others.  I’m glad the company instills this culture to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

When we have traveled to various far flung places in the world I have often contemplated whether we could depend on the rule of law in this location or that.  And reflect how glad I am to live in the USA.