Judy Lucas ran a home day care for 14 years.
<p>
She was licensed for 5 children.
<p>
On many occasions she kept more than 5 children.
<p>
She was charged with willfully breaking the rules of her license.
<p>
The charge was class 1 felony.
<p>
Class 1 felony has penalty of death, life imprisonment, or $100,000 fine.
<p>
There is no victim in this case.
<p>
Judy has exemplary record with child protective services to the point of this charge.
<p>
Judy has exemplary record with every parent whom she has served.
<p>
Judy has nurtured many children over her career with selfless love and dedication.
<p>
The charges that have been filed against her (for a victimless crime) have this effect:
<ul>
<li>Judy`s business has been destroyed
<li>Judy`s reputation has been ruined
<li>All parents whom she has served are impuned by the charges
<li>The community has lost a valuable service
<li>The children whom she served will be worse off
<li>Judy has no income
<li>When Judy was arrested she was physically attacked while in the detention cell
<li>Judy`s mental, emotional and physical health have been attacked with longterm consequences
<li>The state and federal governments will lose income tax
<li>The state has lost credibility for all those affected
<ul>
<li>The community who know Judy
<li>The parents whom Judy served
<li>The friends who know Judy
<li>Judy`s family
</ul>
<li>Other day care operators will leave the business
</ul>
<p>
Has this law been applied uniformly?  What has been the treatment for similar violations?
<p>
The child care regulations are flawed.
<ul>
<li>The penalty for breaking them is irrational
<li>The limit of 5 children is arbitary
<ul>
<li>I am 1 of 6 children - should 1 of them have been taken from my mom?
<li>Judy is 1 of 7 children - should 2 of them have been taken from her mom?
<li>My mom is 1 of 11 children - should 6 of them have been taken from my gandma?
</ul>
</ul>
<hr>
<b>That government is best which governs least.</b> --  Thomas Paine 
<p>
An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so. -- Mahatma Gandhi
<p>
If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law. -- Winston Churchill
<p>
The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly. -- Abraham Lincoln
<p>
Law and justice are not always the same. -- Gloria Steinem
<p>
Law is a bottomless pit; it is a cormorant, a harpy that devours everything. -- Jonathan Swift
<p>
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws. -- Plato
<p>
Good men must not obey the laws too much. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
<hr>
<font size=1>Randy Lucas 2009-11-30</font>