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RE: Re: Legal English (was RE: Using M-dash and N-dash?)
Subject:RE: Re: Legal English (was RE: Using M-dash and N-dash?) From:"Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com> To:obie1121 -at- yahoo -dot- com, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com Date:11 Feb 2004 20:43:41 GMT
Saying that "legalese" is necessary because "we are making
laws" doesn't really address the question of why it has to
be used. It may, however, help explain the low esteem in
which most people hold Congress.
This discussion reminds *me* that some years ago a local
councilmember in my area attempted to introduce regulations
regarding the way hot dog vendors operated. There had
never been any citizen complaints about these vendors
(although some restauranteurs weren't happy about their
existence), and someone asked him why he thought they
needed to be regulated in the absence of such complaints.
His response: "because they aren't regulated."
Gene Kim-Eng
------- Original Message -------
On
Wed, 11 Feb 2004 15:30:18 -0500 Mike O.?wrote:
This discussion reminds me of the late Congressman Sonny Bono, who in a
House committee wondered out loud why they had to use so much "legalese,"
and the other congressmen had to remind him "Mr. Bono, we are making *laws*
here."
