In 1958 President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared May 1st Law Day to honor our legal heritage, the role of law, and the rights and duties that are the foundation of our unique Constitutional democracy. This is a good time in our history to do that.

It's popular to express disdain for the law and for the many rules that regulate our daily lives -- "They make no sense." "They're wrong-headed." "Rules are made to be broken." Sadly, even our own government has occasionally evaded, bent, and broken laws to achieve a perceived "greater good."

These attitudes are short-sighted and dangerous.

Some people object to laws, which in our system include court interpretation, because ordinances install policies with which they disagree. To be sure, some laws are out of date, poorly worded, and badly conceived. Many are inconvenient.

These shortcomings, however, are inherent in the concept of a dynamic democracy governing a diverse population with conflicting views on what's right and wise. Without respect for the law, our society could devolve into constantly warring factions where physical power rather than popular vote would win the day.

Laws, including those that flow from our Constitution and Bill of Rights, establish standards of behavior needed to create a just, humane, and respectful society. They not only tell us what to do, they tell us who we are.

Rules define our expectations as well as our standards of right and wrong. Whether we're playing a game or trying to run a family, school, company, or community, clear and specific rules backed up by consistent and just enforcement make our lives more fair, efficient, and safe. And I'm all for them.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.