Steeply punish a very small (non) crime. Reward a large one. I know what you're saying, but for the sake of argument, littering is a crime, and having a baby is not a crime. How would you rewrite the law so the system cannot be abused? IMO, the problem is not necessarily the laws, but the abusers - on both sides of the law. Do you know of an instance where someone was actually fined $1500 for throwing a cigarette out the window?