Should there be more laws protecting citizens or should there be fewer, and should all groups have equal rights?

The question raises two issues. Taking up firs the easier one of the two issues, I believe that all groups should have equal right.

The question of how many laws are appropriate to protect citizens is not that easy to answer. Increasing the number of laws apparently provides protection to to citizens in more areas. However, while laws, protect the interest of citizens, they also increase the scope for law enforcing agencies to interfere in lives for individuals. Let us take for example the laws relating to the responsibilities and obligation of parents towards their children. Such laws cover some basic responsibilities of the parents such as sending their children to school, ensuring their basic safety, and providing them with basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter. But children also require love and understanding from their parents, and some parents may fall short of the ideal levels of love and understanding. But if laws were to be enacted covering such aspects also. it would give too much power to law enforcing agencies to interfere in private family life of people.

Thus under a given condition of society, there is an optimum level of extent of legal provision to regulate conduct of individuals, institutions and others. Increasing laws beyond the optimum level increases the problems of implementing the law, which can more than offset the befits of improved protection provided by the law.

Also very important is the quality of law. One good law can do more good than several ordinary ones. Not only that, a bad law can actually do more harm than good.