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Nobody likes me.
Nobody ever comes to see me just for fun.
I'm nobody's hobby.
People are always trying to avoid me.

Yet every day people come to me.
They spend precious time with me
Though they could usually avoid me.
After all, you usually know where I am.

The more who come to me
The worse I get.

But don't think I'm evil.
I'm legal in all 50 states of the union
(though I only exist with any frequency in some of them).
I'm not addictive, not in the least.

If you must know...

I'm slow as anything
Yet
Often the fastest way to get anywhere is through me.

Who am I?

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  • $\begingroup$ I guess the answers already got it, but my first thought was certainly email... $\endgroup$
    – Richard Rast
    Feb 18, 2016 at 22:20
  • 9
    $\begingroup$ My first thought was a toilet. $\endgroup$
    – BenM
    Feb 19, 2016 at 1:53

5 Answers 5

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You are most definitely the bane of my morning and evening, you are:

traffic.

Nobody likes me.
Nobody ever comes to see me just for fun.
I'm nobody's hobby.
People are always trying to avoid me.

While the great (enter your nationality here) road can be enjoyed when it is wide and open, when it is full of cars, it is not fun. You can take a leisurely drive at night, a fun road trip, etc, but no one goes to the roads eager to sit at lights or behind other cars. In fact, people often turn away from backups if they have the chance, and new routing systems can actively subvert heavy traffic.

Yet every day people come to me.
They spend precious time with me
Though they could usually avoid me.
After all, you usually know where I am.

Every day, people (like me!) commute to work on the road, where they spend far too much time to get where they are going. Other forms of transit could help you avoid road traffic, in fact, you could avoid it almost anywhere-anywhere that isn't a road.

But don't think I'm evil.
I'm legal in all 50 states of the union
(though I only exist with any frequency in some of them).
I'm not addictive, not in the least.

Traffic occurs on roads, because roads are in every state, as are the citizens who need to get to work. In Montana, not so much, in LA, New York, Chicago- ouch. You don't get hooked on traffic, you want to get away from it.

Now...

The hint makes it look like Irishpanda's answer is closer. It seems we were at work on our keyboards at roughly the same time.

Whatever the answer really is, please

Don't make me drive home tonight...

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You are ...

a traffic jam.

Nobody likes me.
Nobody ever comes to see me just for fun.
I'm nobody's hobby.
People are always trying to avoid me.

Nobody likes to be in a traffic jam, it's not fun or a hobby, everyone tries to avoid it.

Yet every day people come to me.
They spend precious time with me
Though they could usually avoid me.
After all, you usually know where I am.

Some people are in a traffic jam everyday, on their way to work. They know where it is, but usually can't avoid it.

The more who come to me
The worse I get.

The more people are there the worse is the jam.

But don't think I'm evil.
I'm legal in all 50 states of the union
(though I only exist with any frequency in some of them).
I'm not addictive, not in the least.

It's obviously neither evil nor illegal, and definitely not addictive.

If you must know...

As suggested by Nyk 232, even though traffic jams are slow, using the highway is often faster despite the jam, than trying to go around the jam.

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  • $\begingroup$ +1 Almost perfect. Only, "but usually can't avoid it." is not correct. You usually can avoid it if you take the long way around. Trust me, I've tried ; ) $\endgroup$
    – LN6595
    Feb 19, 2016 at 16:22
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You are bureaucracy Nobody likes or enjoys bureaucracy and everyone tries to avoid, yet we have to spend a lot of time to go through bureaucracy. You could easily avoid by efficient employees. It is slow as hell but if you need anything you have to go through it.

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An interstate highway. No one gets on the highway just for fun, and most people actively try to find ways not to get on the highway. People spend non-trivial portions of their lives in traffic on them. The more people on the highway, the worse traffic is, and the more time you spend! They exist in all 50 states, but states with higher populations and larger cities will have more around them. Despite all that, due to the higher speed limits on them, they are often the fastest route to a given destination.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ i definitely get on the highway for fun $\endgroup$
    – maraaaaaaaa
    Feb 19, 2016 at 15:01
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I think he is

a Doctor, we know where to find him but are reluctant to go.

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