On September 23, 2014, I emailed every member of the Washington state legislature. The email was short and simple:
Happily, I received a few responses from the legislature. One of them was particularly good.
This email from a legislative assistant shows a great deal of information. See? There are a lot of "Real People" out there who want to do the right thing. He/she "understands both sides," but obviously is not firmly convicted upon which side to stand. [He] sees that the $1500.00 in fines imposed are excessive and may violate "freedom of speech," and freedom to work, however, [he] "sees" that the government needs to "protect" the people from "unlicensed" service providers(electricians, contractors). This person is simply a Real Person who wants to do the right thing, but [he] is unable to put the facts together in such a way as to firmly determine what the right thing to do is. [He] has not examined closely what the role of government is, and what consequences will follow when government operates outside the role that is given to it in our state and federal constitutions. How does this person satisfy his desire to do the right thing?
Well, lacking the foundation and facts surrounding the proper role of government, [he] is likely to base his final decision on his emotions, the desire to believe that government exists to "protect" individuals, or APPEAR to protect individuals. [He] will probably overlook the fact that in their effort to protect individuals, the government has HARMED and INJURED an individual by restricting his liberties and fining him $1500.00 without a speedy trial by jury. Emotion based actions most often lead to contradictions, and most people do not like to acknowledge their contradictions and hypocrisy. When they are pointed out, their pride and ego gets very defensive.
In my simple case, a contradiction is also easily pointed out in that electrical repairs (and other work) are performed by unlicensed technicians in apartment home maintenance and even government building maintenance. Why aren't government employees in maintenance positions fined $1500.00 for publishing a list of their skills in their resume`s? And the same for apartment maintenance technicians? The simple answer is, sophomoric government employees and self promoting lawmakers do not think things through. They want to be heroes protecting the public without being scrutinized for their nonsense and unworkable unconstitutional legislation. Pointing out this contradiction upsets their view that government exists to protect the public.
I like to protect people, too. In fact, I am right now trying to protect people from out of control government employees. However, I am not trying to protect people by basing my thoughts and actions on my emotions, rather I am basing my thoughts and actions on truth, liberty, and love your neighbor in such a way as to not contradict myself. I cannot claim to love my neighbors if I am willing to fine some of my neighbors $1500.00 for publishing a truthful list of their skills and posting them on a private bulletin board. However, many politicians and bureaucrats DO contradict themselves and deceive themselves by rationalizing, "For the protection of the greater public, some individuals must necessarily be punished and oppressed by government regulations and penalties. Regardless of constitutional prohibitions..." Boy, doesn't that sound reasonable and wise!!!??? Well, to most Real People, it does sound wise. BUT, that is not what the proper role of good government is. According to our constitutions, good government maintains liberty and justice for all, and it protects We the People from foreign invasion. Good government does not attempt to protect individuals from each other! I suppose we could put a government employee security guard in every house, and even have one to follow each individual around in order for government to protect the public!!!
A civilized society does not need tight management and control by bureaucrats and authoritarians, rather a civilized society functions on its ability to morally, honestly, and wisely govern itself with liberty and justice for all. That is what good neighbors who care about these things (love one another) do!!! I care just as much for the individual as I care for the majority. IT IS THE MISGUIDED SMARTER-THAN-EVERYONE-ELSE bureaucrats and politicians who manipulate emotions to distort common sense and common decency for their own power and prestige. And they suck Real People into going along with their nonsense in la-la land! The above email is from a Real Person who is "very new" to his government job. Will [he] be sucked into the control freak "government is the savior" mentality, or will [he] decide to side with our founding fathers who created a constitutional republic that places limits on government in order to maintain liberty and justice for all?
Sometimes legislators feel they have their hands tied during session, and can only sneak little amendments past the majority party.
Obviously, the legislators are not united on the founding principles espoused by our founding fathers. They do not have a common vision, therefore each one feels helpless to effect positive change in government. This is the predicament of the conservative legislator because the "government is savior" legislators ARE UNITED on their efforts to prove that each of them are "saviors" who deserve the love and respect of We the People. For the "saviors," more government and more taxes will lead to prestige and utopia, and perhaps their name on a government building, too! Lenin, Stalin, ans Hitler had their pictures all over government buildings. SEE! IT SHOULD BE VERY EASY TO DEFEAT THE "GOVERNMENT IS SAVIOR" CROWD! But, the conservatives won't stand united on our Supreme Law of the Land, or on liberty and justice for all. Please note that Karl Marx also wanted to use government to create a "workers' paradise." George Washington simply wanted liberty and justice for all...
Without people like you to tell us, I’m not sure we would have any idea what to change—
Most of We the People do not want to deal with government. The less contact with government in their lives, the better. Unfortunately, it takes a pissed off self-educated individual like me to stand up to government abuse. The rest of We the People would prefer to stay out of arguments with government employees. I can't blame them. Arguing with a government employee is the same as arguing with an idiot in an insane asylum--as demonstrated by this blog!
it’s easy for us to research policy all day and want to overhaul an entire tax system
WOW! See??? This person has grand ideas and hope! They WISH they could "overhaul an entire tax system" to get government out of We the Peoples' lives.
but the little policy flaws that create a big problem in the lives of [district] citizens seem to totally escape us without anyone complaining to us.
Yes, We the People must be squeaky wheels if we want to keep our constitutions, liberty, and justice for all. Basically, big government and big money monopolies are strangling We the People while hording all the resources... Independence is quickly turning into dependence and slavery.
You’re right—there is a disconnect
Oh, you mean that the legislator you work for has not had to deal with Washington State Department of Labor and Industries fining him $1500.00 for posting a truthful flier on a private bulletin board? How can that be? Your legislator posts signs up everywhere during election season WITHOUT GETTING FINED BY WDLI! Our constitutions say that we have equal protection under the law. Seems that I should be able to post truthful signs just the same as your legislator does! THERE IS A DISCONNECT THROUGHOUT ALL OF GOVERNMENT! THE IDIOTS WHO ISSUED MY CITATIONS ARE DISCONNECTED FROM OUR SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND, AND ALL OF THE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH ARE DISCONNECTED FROM OUR SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND, ALTHOUGH MANY MANY OF OUR LOVED ONES HAVE GIVEN LIFE AND LIMB TO PRESERVE OUR CONSTITUTIONS FOR OUR POSTERITY. Geeze!!! I just can't believe how stupid the people I have been dealing with are... If we had decent government schools churning out wise and responsible Real People (and government employees) who love liberty and justice for all, I would not need to be writing this!
Anyway, I really appreciate this Real Person who had the courtesy to truthfully respond to my email.
Would you believe that I got an email response from one of the "government is savior" legislators? I DID!!! Check it out:
From: Sen. Adam Kline
To: ME
Sent: Tue, Sep 23, 2014 11:38 am
Subject: RE: NC RR: Man fined $1500.00 for looking for a job.
Sorry, I haven't seen any set of facts that show a man being fined any amount
for simply looking for a job. Can you show me an objective source (a court, an
agency, something with a file number or some other way to verify it), that tells
me that some guy is being smacked ONLY for looking for a job? I will be very
surprised if you can. I suspect that if some guy is being punished by a court
or the police or some government agency, it's for something other than just
job-hunting. Given my past experience with right-wing bloggers, I suspect that
you are trying to turn it into a story of government employees harassing poor
innocent job-seekers, because that fits in with the story you always seem to
want us to believe: that government is bad, always inept, wasteful, worthless.
I think the real story is that for the past 30 years, big business has been
"re-educating" folks to believe that line, because it results in an erosion of
public support for state and federal governments. Those are the levels of
government that prevent them from polluting the environment, exploiting their
workers, and such. All those " government regulations" that protect our air and
water, that protect working people from being abused and over-worked and
under-paid by their bosses, all those regulations would be a lot weaker if the
same folks who are protected by them could be re-educated into fearing them.
Those regulations cut into their bottom lines, which is the only thing important
to them. And that's what we hear from big business, the US Chamber of Commerce,
the Heritage Foundation. Seems you buy it, huh?
So don't just tell me your side of this story about this guy who was fined for
looking for a job and nothing else--show me the actual documents, the record,
with the guy's name and phone so I can call and verify, and get to the bottom of
it.
Adam Kline
I am going to dissect this nonsense, but first here is my response to him:
>>>>>>Sen. Kline,
The set of facts you are looking for are included in the Blog. All correspondence from government employees has been uploaded to the blog, including pertinent parts of hearing transcripts. The FINAL ORDER of Administrative Law Judge Mark Kim states:
"It appears to this tribunal that the penalty in the Appellant's case seems extreme in light of the fact that the Appellant was only seeking minor jobs hoping to earn some extra income. Further, it appears to this tribunal that the legislature has written RCW 18.27.200)1) so broadly that it essentially covers almost every activity of work, some of which might not directly impact the public policy purposes of the statute."
Publishing a list of your skills and posting it on a private bulletin board is protected under our Supreme Laws of the Land, both state and federal constitutions. Get a grip!
Now that you have what you asked for, bone up on the truth and do the right thing for We the People whom you have taken an Oath of Office to serve under the constraints of our state and federal constitutions. Thank you very much!
Warm Regards,
Russ Hinds<<<<<<<<
The first thing I noticed in Adam Kline's email was the bullying tone. In his arrogance, he thinks that he is right and everyone else is wrong. When a weak constitutional legislator is confronted by Adam Kline's diatribe, the weak constitutionalist will shut down the debate because he knows that it will not be productive, and if the debate is pressed, the debate will likely escalate into a heated argument. WELL! THAT IS WHAT ADAM KLINE WANTS! Kline wants the discussion to stop, and stop with his views being the dominant views. See? Rather than serve the public, Adam Kline wants to dominate the public and dominate his constitutionalist small government colleagues.
Now look, the only way to defeat an out-of-control idiot like Adam Kline is to INSIST that our Supreme Law of the Land is SUPREME. It is supreme because the liberties and rights protected within our state and federal constitutions have been paid for with the blood and sacrifice of our fellow citizens who serve in the armed forces and elsewhere. And this is obviously where our small government representatives have fallen short. They will not unite and stand on our Supreme Law of the Land to guarantee the right to publish a list of your skills, the right to free association (our right to choose whom you may serve and/or who may perform services for you), and our right to a speedy trial by a jury of our good neighbors before our liberties and property can be taken by government employees. Our weak "conservative" small government representatives won't pull their weapon out of its holster. Our forefathers gave us a huge cannon, our Supreme Law of the Land, to stand behind, but the fraidy cats won't stand together behind it. Been that way for 50 years, while the Adam Klines have been allowed to run amuck to grow government and grow taxes with no end in sight!!!
The first sentence in Adam Kline's email sets forth the "bullying tone:"
Sorry, I haven't seen any set of facts that show a man being fined any amount
for simply looking for a job.
Kline starts out by implying that I may be lying in my title and subject line, "Man fined $1500.00 for looking for a job." Yep! He wants me to get on the defensive with shaky knees. He is in control of this discussion, and he will set forth the "truth" and set me straight by pointing out that I am dishonest in my title, "Man fined $1500.00 for Looking for a Job." LOL! ...Kline buddy! You are dishonest in your inference that a member of We the People would contact your office armed with lies and nonsense. IT IS YOUR OFFICE THAT IS FULL OF LIES AND NONSENSE THAT HAS LED TO GOVERNMENT BEING FAR OUTSIDE ITS CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITATIONS! Russ doesn't lie.
Can you show me an objective source (a court, an agency, something with a file number or some other way to verify it), that tells me that some guy is being smacked ONLY for looking for a job?
Here again, Kline is implying that I am distorting the facts of the case. He wants to narrow it down to the actual reason I was fined. Perhaps he can force me to admit that I posted an untruthful flyer, perhaps committed fraud by claiming to have licenses... Kline is fishing for a wobbly spot in my courageous stand. He wants to intimidate me into admitting error on my part, "What was the real reason you were fined?" IDIOT! I was fined for hanging a flyer in a bulletin board in an effort to find a job! CLEAR AND SIMPLE! AND CLEARLY UNLAWFUL AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL FINES IMPOSED.
I will be very surprised if you can.
Be surprised then! Open your closed mind. Dump the idea that government is always right!
I suspect that if some guy is being punished by a court or the police or some government agency,
it's for something other than just job-hunting.
Yeah buddy, that is what you want to believe! Still on your high horse, huh? Still trying to imply that I am a liar, huh? Good grief! Your "government is god" mentality is failing you. You need to humble yourself and come down to earth, truth, reality, common sense, common decency, and constitutional government. Yeah buddy, your government agenda and your government employees have really overstepped here on this one! And NO! You do not have me shaking in my boots! You are not reducing my statements to mush, rather you are exposing your own superiority complex which clouds your view of reality.
Given my past experience with right-wing bloggers, I suspect that
you are trying to turn it into a story of government employees harassing poor
innocent job-seekers, because that fits in with the story you always seem to
want us to believe: that government is bad, always inept, wasteful, worthless.
Don't you know your history? Don't you know the truth? Government is bad, especially when people like you hold positions in government. People like you seek to justify everything government does while seeking to expand everything government does. When government is clearly shown to be outside of constitutional restraints, you seek to bury the whistle blower, or the citizen standing up for his constitutionally protected God-given rights. Here is some true history:
George Washington said, "Government is like fire, a dangerous servant and a fearful master." And George Washington is proven to be right in the 20th century. In the 20th century, millions and millions of people have been murdered NOT BY FOREIGN INVASION, but by their own government employees. Government employees trapped in the belief that "government is always right" always go along with orders coming from their "smarter-than-everyone-else" leaders. Uneducated ignorant government employees want to keep "just doing my job to feed my family" issuing $1500.00 fines to people who post innocent fliers on private bulletin boards. And you, Adam Kline, want to protect government employees who disregard our Supreme Law of the Land. You want to justify fining a member of We the People $1500.00 for looking for a job and deny him his right to a speedy trial by a jury of his good neighbors. You, Adam Kline are disregarding your own Oath of Office, and you somehow think you can get away with it by your clever use of words and bullying tactics. You are freaking unstable, man! Have you considered counseling? And, perhaps training in civility and constitutional government? I can see foam dribbling from the corners of your mouth as you attempt to put this "right-wing blogger" to shame.
I think the real story is that for the past 30 years, big business has been
"re-educating" folks to believe that line, because it results in an erosion of
public support for state and federal governments.
WOW! What a warped sense of reality you have! "Big business" isn't running the government indoctrination centers, the public schools. Big government has been re-educating the last 3 generations to blindly follow government commands. Public support for state and federal governments is "eroding" because those governments are disregarding our Supreme Law of the Land and expanding beyond reason. In fact, it has expanded so much that bureaucrats and ALL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES are not held accountable to our Supreme Law of the Land. Add to that the fact that corruption has infiltrated the huge bureaucracies. The behemoth of state bureaucracies has become unmanageable by We the People and our elected representatives. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES LIKE YOURSELF MUST EARN THE RESPECT OF THE PEOPLE YOU ARE SERVING! You don't do that by disregarding your Oath of Office! And you don't earn respect by allowing the bureaucrats and government lawyers to go completely nuts in their misapplication of law.
Yes, I have grievances with the "big business" monopolies who have taken free market competition out of banking and energy production...
Those are the levels of government that prevent them from polluting the environment, exploiting
their workers, and such. All those " government regulations" that protect our air and water, that protect working people from being abused and over-worked and under-paid by their bosses, all
those regulations would be a lot weaker if the same folks who are protected by them could be
re-educated into fearing them.
My, my... What an idealized view of yourself you have. You see your role in government as though you are preventing "polluting the environment, exploiting workers, and such." You are even protecting the "working people from being over-worked and under-paid." You think that the world would turn into hell if it wasn't for your government regulations. THAT IS NOT TRUE! The truth is, many business owners care a great deal about their employees and about our environment. Yet, you and your ilk want to treat all business owners as if they want to exploit their employees and destroy the environment. In your mind, everyone and every business owner is guilty until proven innocent. Good grief!
Well, America functioned a lot better 100 years ago when when there were much fewer regulations. America came through the industrial revolution in flying colors! Bad business practices were dealt with locally and a huge prosperous middle class came into existence in the 1950s. One parent, the father, could provide for the family--purchase a house, a car, and pay the bills, and even send their children to college. BUT IT HAS BEEN THE EXPANDING GOVERNMENT THAT HAS SUCKED THE LIFE OUT OF THE AMERICAN DREAM. It has been government that has tried to be the father and provider of food (food stamps), shelter (free rent), education (free atrocious government schools), and free healthcare (free abortions for the irresponsible promiscuous). Government has EXPLODED taxation (slavery to the state) in order to pay for all of that! Government rewarding irresponsibility and ignorance with welfare, free rent, free atrocious education, and free healthcare has also led to the destruction of the American Dream. Obviously, those stuck in ignorance and poverty have no incentive to improve and educate themselves if government is going to provide for them. Also, I DO NOT WISH TO BE CONTRIBUTING MY TAX DOLLARS TO KEEPING PEOPLE STUCK IN IGNORANCE AND IRRESPONSIBILITY! It horrifies me to think that my tax dollars are contributing to keeping people ignorant and irresponsible. I DO NOT LIVE IN YOUR LA-LA LAND!
Too many people like you are running around trying to be saviors of We the People, saving us from your invented boogie men. You do not need to save the public from me. I am not a boogie man and I am not a danger to the public. If you think I am a danger to the public, then give me my "speedy trial by jury" and get your conviction before you take my liberties and property from me. Your regulations are unconstitutional, and I am calling you out on that. I have had enough of government nonsense and I will look you in the eye and tell you to get out of my face, off my back, and mind your own business!
Those regulations cut into their bottom lines, which is the only thing important
to them. And that's what we hear from big business, the US Chamber of Commerce,
the Heritage Foundation. Seems you buy it, huh?
Your regulations do cut into their bottom lines. Your regulations cut into my bottom line and restrict my liberty and rights. I would rather deal with a boss who is unfair and obnoxious, than deal with an out of control government employee who is unfair and obnoxious.
Thanks to misguided politicians, America has destroyed itself slowly and incrementally starting with the creation of the income tax 100 years ago. In order to collect an income tax, every individual must report their income, rather than only corporations opening their books. Once you give government the power to scrutinize your income, every other abuse of government follows. Silly government employees like you think that you need to "manage incomes and the economy." The personal income tax opens the door for tracking every transaction between every individual in order to collect the income tax. Our constitutionally protected right to privacy has left the building. The free market economy has left the building. Under misguided people like you, the managed and controlled economy has replaced the free market economy.
Now, I hear people like you complaining about the "underground economy" as if that is something to be feared. The truth is, there is no such thing as an underground economy. There is ONLY the free market economy where people are free to engage in transactions according to their own free will, and the managed economy where people must jump through government hoops and regulations in order to conduct business.
I would like to return to simple. I want to be responsible for myself and family. I want to provide for my own food, rent, education, and healthcare. I just want to work with my neighbors to generate an income without government interference. I don't want you to enlist my neighbor "employer" to be your tax collector who deprives me of part of my income to give it to you and your government buddies. You and your government buddies have been misusing tax dollars for many decades and I don't want to share in your guilt!
"The power to tax is the power to destroy," said Daniel Webster and John Marshall. I do not want to participate with you in destroying our once free and good nation. You and others of your mindset who disregard our constitutions have been destroying this nation for decades, slowly and incrementally. And in some evil cases, deliberately in order to reduce America's libertarian freedom loving influence upon the world. You need an epiphany back to supporting our Supreme Law of the Land and "maintaining individual rights." Local governance governs best. America does not need your centralized "control everything" big government impoverishing its own citizens through taxation, regulation, and centralized management. The USSR already tried that!... That is why we need the Heritage Foundation and the Freedom Foundation.
So don't just tell me your side of this story about this guy who was fined for
looking for a job and nothing else--show me the actual documents, the record,
with the guy's name and phone so I can call and verify, and get to the bottom of
it.
Adam Kline
I did respond to you pointing out that the documents you seek are included in the blog. It is a complete journal of my dealings with people who play child's games trying to convince me that I am a bad neighbor for hanging a flier on a private bulletin board, and who has no constitutionally protected freedom and the right to a speedy trial by jury. You know damn well that I have those rights and freedoms! Therefore, I hope you do "get to the bottom of it" and have that epiphany! Stop trying to bullshit me, and try to get some integrity and honesty for yourself and for the entire legislature!
So, how will the real person in the first email decide? Will [he] fall on my side or Adam Kline's side? I will email this UPDATE to the entire legislature, also. I really want to thank Adam Kline for providing the opportunity. I hope he is thoroughly embarrassed! Perhaps he may come back to his senses instead of leaving reality in the dirt while seeking to live in his own la-la land. Time for that epiphany Adam! Time to examine your Oath of Office in order to competently serve We the People. Do your job and make the bureaucrats, government lawyers, and judges abide by our Supreme Law of the Land. To do that, you must stop pretending that they are abiding by our Supreme Law of the Land. That way, you can stop pretending to be a statesman for We the People, and become a true statesman who adheres to your Oath of Office and holds government employees to account maintaining individual rights just as our state constitution requires!
Get a grip! You lose, and I win because I have the simple truth on my side!
EDIT:
I just went to Adam Kline's Senate web page to see what this guy looked like. He has an interesting and appalling video on his Senate web page. It was interesting to see that the guy has found a clever way to intimidate his colleagues in the state senate. His mild demeanor also seems to give him some influence with his colleagues. But, judging from his clever words, I would say that he is passive aggressive. Unlike his aggressive email to me, Kline seems to capitalize on his clever words.
Quote from the 1:38 point in the video:
"As a consequence, people here(in the state senate) think that it is me who is a little, you know, in your face sometimes, ...pause.. It's the district. It is not me... the 37th is a very progressive... very curious district, very upstanding kind of a place. ..."
What I take from those words is this:
Mr. Kline is not responsible for his votes and the bills he sponsors in the state senate. If his colleagues want to restrain his efforts to expand "progressive" government, they are not dealing with Mr. Kline, rather they are dealing with the entire 37th district. Evidently, Mr Kline's district has asked him to ignore his Oath of Office to support our state and federal constitutions. Evidently, Kline has put himself in a Vulcan mind meld with his entire district, and they have bestowed kingship on him to lead them into battle against the rest of the state's districts. If a conservative senator attempts to restrain Kline's efforts to "progressively" expand state government, then that conservative senator is not confronting Kline and his irresponsible disregard of our Supreme Law of the Land, rather that conservative senator is confronting the entire 37th district. And that entire district wants to increase taxes and expand government. That district wants to increase taxes on the rest of the state AND it wants to determine how to spend the increased tax moneys collected. Is the 37th district that self centered? Or is Kline deluding himself?
Mr. Kline, We the People of the state of Washington have not repealed any part of our state and federal constitutions, and we have not thrown out your Oath of Office to support those constitutions.You have taken it upon yourself to join with the "progressive" caucus and join them in disregarding our state and federal constitutions--which obviously you dishonestly took an Oath of Office to support! Is the 37th district really backing up your dishonesty? Are they as dishonest as you? Does your district really want to siphon off more money from the rest of Washington's We the People and appoint you to determine how to spend that money? Mr. Kline, I think you are deluded. You really need that epiphany to support "liberty and justice for all, and "government is established to maintain individual rights." Government is not established to trample individual rights... Dude, you need to get educated beyond a sophomore in high school and beyond Karl Marx's delusions. Think man, THINK!
Start out your thinking right here with C.S. Lewis:
“Of
all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its
victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under
robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber
baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point
be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment
us without end for they do so with the approval of their own
conscience."
Check your conscience Mr. Kline. Respect our individual rights and freedoms as they are protected in our Supreme Law of the Land. I do have a right to publish a list of my skills in an effort to find a job, and I do have a right to a speedy trial by a jury of my good neighbors before government employees can take my liberty and property.... My father and 3 of my sons risked their lives to preserve those rights and liberties by taking an Oath to defend our constitutions from all enemies, foreign and domestic. I cannot bow to your delusions and the delusions of the rest of your "progressive" conspirators.
Here is the url to the video:
http://sdc.wastateleg.org/kline/2014/03/21/sen-kline-video-update-32114/
