I have a memory trace from my graduate school days of courses that I took in post-modern philosophy and ethics. I recall the professors developing the argument that that in a perfect world we would not need any laws because people would respect each other and get along just fine without them.  Last week I happened to be listening to Twin Cities talk show host Joe Soucheray on KSTP 1500AM.  The voice over at the beginning of Soucheray’s show talked about “Minnesota – the state where it is not legal to do anything”. There are certainly a lot of laws and local ordinances on the books here in Minnesota.  And as a rule things work pretty well here. However, after I heard that intro piece on the radio, I wondered if there were some laws that were originally intended to promote a civil society and help people safely work and play well with together, that were now unneeded or even absurd.  In my quick and dirty research I came across www.dumblaws.com.  Here is what I found:

In Minnesota…

• It is illegal to stand around any building without a good reason to be there. (I’m in trouble some days.)
• A person may not cross state lines with a duck atop his head. (I can’t imagine why one would want to!)
• It is illegal to sleep naked. (It does get cold here in the winter!)
• All men driving motorcycles must wear shirts. (N.B. This law says nothing about women.)
• Citizens may not enter Wisconsin with a chicken on their head. (I know that my Brazen Careerist friends in Madison will sleep better knowing this!)
• All bathtubs must have feet. (Good to know if you are remodeling your bathroom.)

And there are some amusing Minnesota city laws as well.  For example, in Minnetonka, driving a truck with dirty tires is considered a public nuisance. In St. Cloud, hamburgers may not be eaten on Sundays.  And in Minneapolis, red cars may not drive down Lake Street.  I wonder if my good friend, Laura Goodrich of Seeing Red Cars fame knows this!

At any rate, I got a good laugh out of doing this piece and hope you did, too.  Feel free to share any “dumb laws” in your city or state as well.