NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT

Some people still believe there's such a thing as a "victimless crime."
They put such things as prostitution and private drug use in that category.

But there is no such thing as a victimless crime. Every crime degrades
society, costs society money in some form and hurts someone directly or
indirectly.

And as much as the permissive left would like to believe otherwise, there
is no criminal statute enacted that penalizes behavior simply for being
someone's idea of immoral. Sure, there are moralistic roots in our judicial
system, including the foundation of the Ten Commandments. So what? It
remains that a crime is a crime because the proscribed behavior is bad for
society. Period.

Moreover, when unscrupulous people abuse their freedom, they risk eroding
everyone else's freedom.

Case in point:

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue on Tuesday signed legislation making it more
difficult to buy Sudafed and other cold and sinus medicines with
"pseudoephedrine." Why? Because too many people were buying such
medications in bulk and using them to make the illegal drug methamphetamine.

Methamphetamines are highly addictive stimulants, and are perhaps the
country's fastest-growing drug problem.

Again, use of methamphetamines is far from a victimless crime. It costs
businesses in loss productivity, it ravages lives and families and leads to
other forms of crime.

In addition, the making of methamphetamines is dangerous business; meth
labs are toxic and explosive. Entire neighborhoods can feel the effects of
these toxic dumps.

Far from victimless.

And now, because of these people's hunger for the over-the-counter raw
materials, you and your fellow Georgians will be inconvenienced by having
to ask for such cold medications from behind store counters - as if they
were prescription medications.

Indeed, some argue the Georgia law doesn't make it difficult enough to get
such medications: There will continue to be pressure at the Statehouse in
subsequent legislative sessions to require pharmacists to dispense such
medications - and only after the customer has produced a photo I.D. and
signed a log.

In other words, methamphetamine users will someday soon inspire the
government to track your use of cold medications!

Victimless?

Hardly.