It is against the law to sing in public in Anderson, South Carolina. But the ban could be lifted as soon as today. The city council will vote on the right to sing as part of an effort to clean out the books of obsolete, redundant, and just plain weird laws.
Other obsolete rules set for repeal would cover “bomb shelters, parking meters (which no longer exist in the city) and house numbering rules that predate the current 911 system.” Still other ordinances are already covered by state law.
Laws that might have made sense in the 19th century might not today. Washington, D.C. still has rules on the books for how to herd livestock through city streets, for example. A big part of regulatory reform is doing a better job vetting new rules before they hit the books. But old rules shouldn’t be exempt from scrutiny, either.
Cities, states, and the federal government should make it a priority to comb through the books and eliminate old rules that don’t apply to today’s world, or that are already covered by other levels of government.
Inertia Wins! 
