Military laws

Military law is a type of law that applies to military members only. This law does not concern any citizens that are civilians only. These distinct laws help to govern those military personnel that exhibit disorderly conduct, the legality of orders, order of discipline ect… Each state has their own set of military laws and procedures. These states are free to enforce these military laws as lenient and as strict as they desire. In some states the military are also subject to civil and criminal convictions within the state as well. The United States constitution itself is what allows different forms of punishment for the military. These rules and regulations are known here as articles of war. The main document used when enforcing the military laws is the uniform code of military justice. This is used to cover issues including bringing cases to military court, the different types of treatment and apprehension of prisoners, releases and revisions to military records, and proper ways to discharge. The reason that the military laws differ from that of the civilian is because they are serving the country and hold a different esteem in society. Soldiers are expected to be on better behavior, exude more patriotism, and receive much more from life.

Most importantly military law dictates in plain English what soldiers get in return for their services. It is mandatory that they all receive completer health benefits including medical, dental, vision, and child care. Military laws however require a certain amount of time in service from each soldier. A soldier may not discharge in a dishonorable way or they will not continue to receive benefits and may also lose veterans benefits when older. Military law states that a soldier or member must earn a certain amount of credits to be offered social security benefits for their families in time of death. Military laws are harsher than regular laws, and force soldiers to become upstanding members of society. They not only have to follow military law, but they also have to follow civilian law when placed on leave or during a deployment break. These laws are not easily understood by civilians, and is worked into our constitution. The military laws are recognized by civil courts and can be affected by each state differently depending on the civil laws they support.

State Laws

State Laws are sets of rules and regulations that are given by the a state, protected by the states constitution, enforced by the state police, and followed by the citizens. State law remains specific for each state and the constitution for every state differs as well. In the United States, government is divided into national, state, and local governments. This breakdown of power keeps influence from a far to a minimum. Each sector is used as a checks and balances of other. For example, the constitution of the United States is to be followed, however when a citizen of a given state the most important constitution to follow is that of the state. This is not to say that the United States Constitution should not be followed, this only ensures that the state law is the top priority. It would be impossible for national legislatures to keep a hold on every citizen in every country. It would be even harder for the national government to make the entire nation follow one set of laws rather than individual state laws. Now, within a states Constitution, state laws must still follow the framework of the United States constitution, and not interfere with a persons right to life, liberty, and property.

State laws can also differ from that of the national law. Take the state of Massachusetts for example, the state has a universal health care mandate for all citizens. Although taxes are higher in the Massachusetts, state laws demand that the state fit the bill if a person does not have health insurance from an employer. This state law is a popular one in the state, and prevents many illnesses from starting among its citizens. The United States as a whole however does not have a universal health care system for all its citizens. This decision is left up to the state, as is the budget and what to fit into it. Massachusetts state law also allows gay marriage, a controversial law at best. Most state laws in the other fifty states do not allow this type of a union to happen. The United States as a whole does not allow this union to happen. This type of decision can be made by a state, and cannot be prohibited by the national government. Massachusetts also passed state law that allows the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The state also limited the consequences for this to the form of a citation rather than jail time or community service. This stipulations to these marijuana state laws is that the person cannot be found with more than an ounce of the controlled substance. Again, here state law differs from that of national law, in which the use, possession, and distribution of this substance is completely illegal. Another advantage a state like Massachusetts has, is that it is a commonwealth. In a commonwealth state like Massachusetts, it is easier to make decisions based on the public good. The excuse for making and approving such liberal state laws can be that it is for the common good of the people and their happiness, what is after all the purpose of a commonwealth. The state law premise is one that allows for many different decisions to be made based on a smaller group of people. The chain of command set up in the United States has helped keep control of all citizens. People in different regions require different laws to keep the community civilized, and that’s where laws given by state serves a purpose.

Laws

In a civilization, it is necessary to set up a guideline to behavior. This will keep the peace, and ensure that everything has a general framework. Laws and rules are put in place for this reason an dare expected to be followed or consequences will result. Although it may seem at times that laws and rules are nothing but obstacles to your freedom, most laws and rules have legitimate reasons for their existence. There are three reasons for a laws or rules to exist. A law exists because a majority of the people in this country agrees with it. Why can’t you walk down the street naked on a hot summer day? Because a majority of people in this country don’t want to look at you. It’s as simple as that. A law exists because it promotes the health or safety of everyone in society. Seat belt laws are enforced in all fifty states because seat belts save a lot of lives. A majority of people will normally support life-saving rules even if they infringe on personal freedoms to some extent. All building codes and health ordinances exist to protect the public in this same way. A law exists because it helps society to function more smoothly. Traffic lights are a perfect example of this sort of law. Because people obey traffic lights society works efficiently. If everyone did whatever they felt like doing at every intersection, we would have anarchy.

You can see an example of the second type of law when looking at building codes. Building codes are a classic example of rules that are put in place and enforced to protect the public health and safety. They also demonstrate how changes take place over time as society learns new things and why upon your arrival on the scene things seem like a complicated mess.
Laws and rules are constantly changing. One of the most interesting changes I have noted in my lifetime has been the change in smoking rules and regulations. When I was a kid people could and did smoke anytime, anywhere, in any public place. They smoked in airplanes, restaurants, offices, movie theaters, meeting rooms and so on. There were absolutely no restrictions on smoking because a majority of adults in the United States smoked. Look at how things have changed. It is now illegal to smoke in virtually any public area. Smoking laws have forced people to stand outside of office buildings to smoke. It was an amazing transformation to watch. In terms of social change timelines it happened very quickly. The thing that caused this change was the fact that smokers lost their majority in the population. As people have realized how unhealthy smoking is, people have stopped smoking in record numbers. Once non-smokers held a decided majority, all the laws changed. Let’s say you find a law or rule that you think is unreasonable. To change it, all you have to do is convince a majority of voters to agree with you and work toward changing a law through your congressman or other elected officials. It is really as simple as that.