Danielle Wiesman
Recently on Reddit things that are legal but shouldn’t be anymore were discussed. One that we didn’t see was multi-level marketing otherwise known as MLMs, which are basically a pyramid scheme that operates in a loophole. Its definitely a predatory practice and should really be illegal asap. Nonetheless, here are the things that had the biggest consensus amongst commenters. Do you agree?
Declawing Your Cat
Declawing cats is such an unethical practice. It is really painful for the cats and can pose a lot of short term and long term health risks to the cat. It can really have a negative effect on the cat’s mental health and quality of life. Both the ASPCA, and the Humane Society are extremely opposed to declawing.
Corporations Owning Single Family Homes
Some of the commenters were really concerned that corporations were buying up the housing market and would soon be the biggest group of new landlords. Sadly enough that’s not too far fetched. The government not stepping in and stopping corporations from buying houses has nearly made affordable housing a thing of the past. People just can’t compete with big corporations who can put up the cash. How is that even legal?
Alcohol
Many of the members agreed that alcohol should be illegal. According to the commenters, drunk drivers pose such a problem, killing over 15,000 people a year in the U.S. that we should bring back prohibition. According to the World Health Organization alcohol is responsible for more than three million deaths a year.
Congress Owning Stocks While Legislating
It basically amounts to insider trading and seems an obvious answer, yet our corrupt system allows politicians to get away with it. One redditor says, “And their spouses.” It definitely happens on both sides of the aisle. It is so bad that recently Congressman Matt Geatz and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez teamed up to bring a bill to the floor making it illegal for any member of congress or their family to own or trade stocks while in office. We definitely agree this should be illegal. While we are at it, how about some term and age limits.
Price Gouging
This is a big one! Price gouging should be illegal immediately. The pandemic highlighted this issue with a blaring light. All of the sudden there were supply chain issues and price hikes. For some reason the price never came down, very curious how that happens. One redditor agrees and adds more examples of price gouging, like event tickets, stocks, housing, sneakers, collectibles, or consumer electronics.
Spam Emails
Not as important as some of the other things on the list, spam emails are still really annoying. It’s the worst when you receive emails from people or companies that you never signed up to receive. One commenter notes, “When you learn how much energy it takes to send emails, they become infuriating.”
Kid Beauty Pageants
They are such a weird practice. Multiple thread commenters suggest it’s mostly “unattractive mothers living their beauty fantasies out through their children.” Little girls shouldn’t be dressed up as grown women, with their hair and makeup done and paraded around in swimsuits or gowns. The lesson that you are teaching them that their value is tied to their looks and that they should compete against other girls for the approval of a man at such an impressionable age is terrible.
Lobbying In Government
One user adds, “Bribing Politicians – I mean, Lobbying.” They weren’t alone in their opinion. Several people agree that lobbyists all but own Congress which is why there is an unwillingness to end the practice and no incentive to actually represent their constituents best interest. Another states, “It’s antithetical to the concept of democracy.”
Complicated Unsubscription Methods
It is absolutely infuriating that it takes about two seconds to sign up for something and you have to jump through hoops and basically be a professional sleuth to find your way out of it. Many contributors comment that they shouldn’t have to unsubscribe from email lists they never signed up for in the first place.
Predatory Payday Loans
Payday loans are a very predatory business. Many of the users in the thread agreed that it should be illegal. One redditor adds, “Interest rates over 18% used to be criminal in the U.S.” New York did find that the predatory practice should be illegal and took action and many commenters hope that it spreads across the rest of the states.
Family Vlogging
Multiple people agree that “Children who are being exploited on the internet under the guise of mommy blogging, or family blogging,” should be illegal.
Data Tracking and Targeted Advertisements
Targeted advertising sounds convenient because you don’t really have to shop, the internet does it for you, but your data is being used and sold to third parties for profit. One user suggests, “It should automatically have you opted out of sharing your information with third parties and allow you to opt-in to see more targeted ads.”
Robo Telemarketing
How annoying is it to look down at your phone and see “scam likely?” Robocalling should be illegal because it’s just plain annoying. Nobody likes getting unwanted automated calls disrupting their day. It’s such an invasion of privacy and opens the door to scams. Making it illegal is a no-brainer.
Insurance Companies and Healthcare
Doctors bill for services at a higher rate than they are worth because the insurance companies negotiate. One insurance company will pay X and the other will pay Y. So they kind of depend on making up the discrepancy with others. As a result the uninsured pay the ultimate price. They are usually the ones with the least in the way of means not even being able to afford insurance. Insurance companies allow them to make payments with inflated bills keeping them broke and struggling to pay. This 100% should be illegal.
Civil Asset Forfeiture
Civil Asset forfeiture is a tool that law enforcement officers can use to seize assets from people just suspected of involvement with a crime without actually charging them with anything. It is a scam that many of the contributors voted as something that should be illegal. One notes, “Civil Asset Forfeiture is one of the most blatant holes in constitutional rights granted in the U.S.”
Another user said for example, “inanimate property isn’t capable of having means, motive, or opportunity to do anything, much less commit a crime.” With that, there should be no such things as asset forfeiture without a trial and verdict.
Timeshares
Timeshares are horrible and the whole industry is slimy. “It is tantamount to completely legalized fraud” one user says. The user goes on to explain that the salespeople are scam artists who hold people hostage in presentations and manipulative sales pitches while hiding the very high costs from them. They are basically really expensive Airbnbs that you don’t own and therefore not an actual investment.
Prescription Drug Commercials
Have you noticed the non-stop drug advertisements on your TV? A British redditor commented that during their holiday in the U.S. they were shocked by the amount of ads they saw and added that hearing Americans refer to COVID-19 vaccines by name was “strange and eerie.” Another commenter noted that we are a “corporate-controlled society.”
Tanning Beds
Why is it that there are so many white women and former presidents who glow with an unnatural orange tinge? The practice of using tanning beds is far too common among young ladies. One concerned citizen says, “The cancer correlation is too clear now to make this a pre-prom tradition.”
Subrogation
Basically in subrogation, the health insurance company can take the insurer’s settlement to recoup the money they paid out on that person’s medical bills. In most instances, they take a majority of the people’s settlement even though they have been paying for health insurance. Hospitals do it too. It is tantamount to stealing injury settlements from their clients. One user states, “It’s evil.”
Paparazzi
Although the average person doesn’t really have to contend with the paparazzi it still goes without saying that it should be illegal. There are anti-stalking laws on the books so why is it legal to stalk and harass people for photos and videos profiting off their image without their permission.
Conversion Therapy
Conversation therapy is such a disgusting practice. If you have never heard of it, it is the practice of trying to change people in the LGBTQIA+ to be straight. Wikipedia states, “Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms.” Sexuality is not a choice so you can’t make someone not gay and several people in the thread agree this should be illegal.
For-Profit Prisons
It’s not shocking that for-profit prisons made this list. They are an obvious conflict of interest. One person adds, “Even government-run prisons in the U.S. have massive amounts of privatized profits due to all the contracted goods and services.”
Another states, “Sadly, this ‘right’ is protected almost as well as the right to bear arms. America loves slave labor, and they wrote it into the 13th Amendment. Very hard to undo.”
Very Wealthy and Not Paying Taxes
Why is it that when it came out that Donald Trump paid no taxes in 2020, people thought that made him clever and a good leader? Yet, those same people don’t vote in favor of taxes to fund schools. People complain nonstop about paying taxes and then praise a man who regularly used his wealth and status to take advantage of loopholes that you need large sums of money in order to take advantage of. It should absolutely be illegal to be rich and not pay taxes. According to multiple users, it’s criminal.
Churches Don’t Pay Taxes
Most people are on board and very ready for churches to finally start paying their fair share in taxes. One redditor adds, “Spending .24 cents on every dollar towards their cause while the rest goes to ‘administration’ should be illegal.”
Church of Scientology
While we are on the topic of not paying taxes, the Church of Scientology is a cult pretending to be a church just to avoid paying taxes. On top of member abuse and family disconnection, they have front groups which pose as helpful programs in the schools. Some of those programs are Applied Scholastics, Youth for Human Rights International as well as substance abuse facilities like Narconon.
Paying Fees for College Transcripts
Your transcripts are yours and universities charging money to access your official school transcripts is ridiculous. One person explains that while applying for a job at their old university they made him pay a 3rd party to send them their own transcripts just to prove he went there.
Convenience Fees
Having to pay extra money just to pay bills under the guise of “convenience fees” should be illegal. It sounds like a scam to me. What is the inconvenience that the fee is covering? Many redditors agree it should be less expensive than mailing a copy of the bill payment through the post office.
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