Line by Line - Verse 57, Lines 12-13

the more display there is of legislation, the more thieves and robbers there are.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

The more rules and regulations,
The more thieves and robbers.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The more laws are posted
The more robbers and thieves there are
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

When they try to fix things
by passing more laws,
they only increase the number of outlaws.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

In the United States, the laws and regulations that cover high finance and big business are crafted in such a way as to ensure the elite will rob the people. What else should we expect when the corporations that the rules supposedly are meant to regulate, by and large, write the legislation itself?

It would be like a parent allowing their 7 year old son or daughter to write up the house rules and to determine what the punishment, if any, there will be for violating the rules. Do you think your 7 year old will create tough rules and harsh punishments?

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