Cook's Postulate

The key to understanding the American system is to imagine that you have the power to make nearly any law you want. But your worst enemy will be the one to enforce it. - Author Rick Cook

On Friday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed SB1070, which will become law (assuming no successful court challenges in the interim) in about three months. There has been quite a national uproar over the bill (PDF), ostensibly designed to deal with what is essentially uncontrolled illegal immigration into and through Arizona, along with kidnappings, drug smuggling and, recently, drug cartel warfare coming across the border as well. One of the primary questions is, "is the bill Constitutional." Even Instapundit took up that question. Quite possibly part of it is not, though it's difficult to see where the majority of the law wouldn't be.

Still, as Vox pointed out over lunch yesterday, this looks like the right-wing's "big government" reaction to an admittedly profound problem: "DO something!!"

Thus we return to Cook's Postulate. Does this law pass, for example, Joe Huffman's "Jews in the Attic" test? Honestly, I doubt it. And I'm concerned about the unintended consequences of this law (which, admittedly runs a paltry 17 pages, as opposed to, say, the "health care" bill's 2000-plus pages).

Whatever happens as a result of the passage of this law, I doubt seriously it will be much of an improvement over present conditions. Remember, any law that is passed can be enforced by your worst enemy.