"Gary Drescher" wrote in message
...
"Matt Barrow" wrote in message
...
But what evidence (if any) was there that the previous laws were less
effective than more severe ones? The mere fact that a legislature
decided
to
boost the penalties doesn't mean there was any good reason to think
that
the
previous statutes were less effective. The legislators could just have
been
pandering to ideologues whose policy preferences are not based on sound
evidence.

Since that was neither the issue, nor the question (you seem to have a
strong propensity to add conditions and qualifiers to your responses) ,
I
fell no obligation to respond.

Huh? You flatly asserted that "many states" a) found out that
distinguishing
joyriding from theft had had an "adverse effect", and b) then revised
their
laws accordingly.

Which is beyond the point that your extended three or four times so go play
with yourself.