ABIDING+BY+THE+LAW

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Abiding by the Law
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By: Katie Moore
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A good citizen is someone who abides by the law and is conscious of the laws that he/she should obey everyday. According to thefreedictionary.com, law-abiding means "adhering more or less strictly to the laws". There are three types of laws that they should be aware of- federal laws, state laws, and city ordinances. A good citizen of the United States should know what the laws are in their country, their state, and the city they reside in, and they should obey these laws at all times. If ever there is a dispute between federal laws or state laws and city ordinances, federal laws will reign supreme. Most laws should be obeyed on a 24/7 basis, i.e. stealing, driving over the legal limit, or killing (not in self defense), but other laws such as speeding should be followed within reason. For example, you are not a bad citizen if you drive a couple of miles per hour above the speed limit. You should, however, be aware of the speed limit and abide by it within reason.



Laws are generally written to maintain the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Laws are a moral obligation that any good citizen should respect and abide by. Most laws are written to reflect issues of morality and at all times should be considered and obeyed. Some laws, on the other hand, are outdated and do not reflect moral issues so that does not make them a moral obligation. Citizens, however, should be aware of them and still abide by them. Sometimes, breaking the law for just causes is considered morally acceptable, as long as there are good intentions and no major harm is done. Also, some laws go against human liberties and if somebody finds it worthy of breaking, they will break it to uphold their moral obligations. Still, as a good citizen of the United States of America, you should be aware of and abide by all laws (within reason) in your country, your state, and your city. If all citizens did their part to maintain these laws, we would all live in a more secure and happy country.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/law-abiding http://www.smith.edu/philosophy/mbesmithlegal_obligation.htm http://www.federalunion.org.uk/blog/2009/05/following-rules.html