Monday, March 21, 2016

So... what am I looking for in an elected official?

Back in the day when Marc Boldt actually used to be a Republican, he would run on this nifty little saying about being a so-called "servant-leader."

That worked pretty well for him before he was elected locally to the county commission and where, over a very short period of time, he was completely co-opted by the downtown mafia and the left into being their bitch... and now, HE is the "leader" and WE are HIS "servants."

That's not how this is supposed to work.  That's not how any of this is supposed to work.

Boldt and the other 2 Stooges have and are governing PRECISELY and absolutely like their leftist counterparts would have voted had they been elected.

In short, the Three Stooges of Stewart, Boldt and Olson are governing exactly and precisely the same way the Three Stooges named Pridemore, Dalesandro and Green would govern has they won.

I mean, precisely.  Interchangeably.  Zero difference between them.

At the county level, the elected County Clerk is a bald-faced liar who ran on a platform of eliminating his job as an elected position.

Until he got the job.

Then, of course, he forgot all about that pledge... and proceeded to ignore it having used it to get what he wanted.

At the state senate level, Ann "Gas Tax" Rivers has also rid herself of the yolk of her integrity in a variety of ways: Failing to challenge Brad Owen's bogus "unconstitutional" ruling on the floor of the Senate early last session; failing to keep her word on opposing gas tax and tab fee increases; hanging a $700 million tax bill ($1600 or so for every man, woman and child in this county) around our necks; lying about how much money she has raised for her election campaign; failing to respond to constituents as their elected official...

And now, our GOP State Representatives, failing us all with their single-minded focus on resurrecting the CRC Scam... placing priority on replacing the I-5 Bridge to "fix" the I-5 corridor... as if a brand new bridge would do anything of any kind to fix that problem...

In a nutshell, I expect our elected officials to do two main things: first and foremost?

Keep your word.

Don't be a liar like Scott Weber and Gas Tax Rivers.

Don't pledge to do "A" or not do "B" only to do "X" when the time comes.

Don't pledge to work to eliminate your position as an elected position and then fail to make that your top priority because, well, the job is yours, now.

Don't pledge to oppose gas tax and tab fee increases and then do everything you can to ram that tax rip off down our throats without asking us, even though you know our answer would be "no."

Remember: your job is to represent the people. 

When you know those you represent do not want you to take action on issues in a certain way... then do OUR bidding... not that of the special interests you appear to be answering to.

Don't ignore your responsibilities to be honorable in all things you do.

Remember: the worst that can happen is tat you lose.

Ignore us and that's much more likely. 

I was beating the hell out of yet another one of Greg Jayne's self-serving pap pieces where he lied about a quote from Jefferson and tried to use it to justify the worthless nature of newspapers... when I came across the entirety of the quote by this Founding Father:
The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them.”
The line that struck me was the first:
The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right..."
"The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people."

What does that mean, exactly?

To me, it seems relatively straightforward: That government is empowered to do what the people they would govern would want them to do.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

In this phrase, there seems to be no space... no gap... within which those in government are somehow also empowered to interject their judgment as superior to those they would work for.

And who is they work for?

Why, they work for us.

Thus, when our elected officials in government know full well either what they promised to get elected... of what our view is on a certain subject... such as the opposition increase the gas tax or tab fees... well known months before it was implemented... their DUTY is to implement that will as if it were their own... REGARDLESS of what THEY in office may think.

Jefferson appears to have made that abundantly clear when he added:

"...the very first object should be to keep that right..."

"The very first object..."

What does that mean, exactly?

Again, it seems relatively straightforward.

Jefferson seems to have made the equation clear: THE very first thing government is supposed to do, as Jefferson saw it, was to implement the opinion of those they would govern.

He doesn't say how that opinion needs to be expressed, although the 3 Stooges have deliberately ignored the will of the voters as expressed at the polls, for example.

Rivers knew to a certainty that her district overwhelmingly opposed the gas tax/tab fee increases she supported, as did the rest of Clark County.

The actions of the Stooges and Rivers fly directly counter to those espoused by Jefferson.

Oddly, this asset of such value... aka, the local newspaper... doesn't seem to be particularly interested in pointing out that fact.

"... should be to keep that right."

Indeed.  It should.

Washington State Constitution, Declaration of Rights

"All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights." - Article 1, Section 1
The very first article in the very first section of our State's Constitution says this.

"...Consent of the governed" figures prominently in all that.

Our state supreme court, worthless as tits on a boar hog, allows that lying to get elected or to get your project built or your initiative passed is protected speech.

Recently, liars have infested us to get elected... liars have infested us to get their projects built (The CRC/Loot Rail scam comes to mind) and liars have infested us to get their pot legalized.

All legal, according to our state supremes.
“The majority opinion advances the efforts of those who would turn political campaigns into contests of the best stratagems of lies and deceit, to the end that honest discourse and honest candidates are lost in the maelstrom,” Justice Barbara Madsen wrote in the dissent, joined by Justices Tom Chambers, Mary Fairhurst and Bobbe Bridge.
Now, just about everyone running for office or shilling a project lies.  Most recently, the unending horror of the CRC/Loot Rail scam was a lie from start to finish... a lie that wasted $200 million because nobody cared what we had to say and, in fact, the media would routinely insult those of us with questions or concerns or opposition.  Who can forget that scumbag John Laird calling us "cockroaches?"

And they do so with impunity, thanks to our Court.  But then, these are the same idiots who claim a non-existent ability to force the legislature to legislate in the McCleary decision, so why should this surprise me?

In conclusion, then, what I look for is relatively simple:

1.  Keep your word.

If you make a promise, keep it.  Don't be like Weber and Rivers.

Particularly when you don't need to be.

2.  Represent the people.

That's your JOB.  Keep YOUR judgment out of it when it conflicts with the will of those you claim to represent.

That, of course, is why I will not vote for any of the people mentioned in this post.

Those who lie, such as Rivers and Weber are automatically and permanently disqualified from any ballot I have.

Those who ignore the will of the people on the issues confronting us?  The Three Stooges, the state representatives who ignore the will of the people... that additional bridges in additional locations are needed BEFORE we "fix" the I-5 bridge?

Same there.  I will oppose them as long as they oppose us.

After all... who are these clowns supposed to be working for again?

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