Submitted by a reader

In speaking with people about the rampant disregard of our elected county officials to fol-
low state law and properly record their Oaths of Office, I have gotten a few curious re-
sponses. This is my favorite: I dont know why all the fuss, its no big deal right? Theyre
already doing the job. Anyone who would so readily dismiss this is ignorant and unedu-
cated on the subject. I dont mean that in a derogatory sense. People have been conditioned
to accept and go along with the misdeeds of government and elected officials for so long
that denial of any wrong doing becomes an automatic response. It is an easy way for us all
to not get involved. When we have examples like Bill Clinton and the current regime, an
oath of office does seem like a trivial matter on the surface. I asked this person why they
felt promising to uphold your rights and follow the law on the part of those elected to make
and enforce those laws was not important. She pondered this for a moment and said Oh.
Thats all it took, just a moment of thought, for her to understand.

What is the first thing a person is required to do before testifying in court? Take an oath to
tell the truth. Perjury comes with a heavy penalty. When you sign your tax return, or most
any government form, you swear (take an oath) to the facts under penalties for violation.
The list goes on and on. So, if an oath, affirmation or swearing in is unimportant, why are
they required everywhere and come with penalties for non-compliance? If an Oath of Office
is unimportant, I challenge the reader to peruse WA State RCWs on the matter. The require-
ment for a properly filed and recorded Oath of Office PRIOR to assuming office is very
clearly written and understandable. The procedure for doing this is clearly defined. The
penalties for non-compliance are very clearly written and understandable. There are many
Supreme Court cases which stress the importance and necessity for a person elected to pub-
lic office take and properly record their oaths in the public record. Anything short of that is
unacceptable and punishments are prescribed by law.

What is the purpose of taking an Oath of Office? Lets start at the beginning. People created
government to assume certain duties and hired (elected) people into positions of authority to
represent their collective interests. They certainly did not want to elect a thief into the office
Its no big deal right?
A message to Stevens County
VOLUME 1 I SSUE 4 MAY 23, 2014 PAGE 1
Freedom Writer
of the Treasury, for example, so laws were created to help assure that the people elected into
these representative positions would act in a lawful and legal manner or be punished accord-
ingly. This was also a time when swearing (making a promise) before God actually meant
something. An Oath of Office bound these elected people to certain standards and if those
standards were violated, consequences resulted both in this world and in the next. What logical
person, after thinking it through, could deny the absolute need for a properly filed and re-
corded Oath of Office (per existing laws) by each and every person elected to any public of-
fice? They are put there to perform duties for the People and are paid accordingly from the
Peoples Treasury (your tax dollars). They are employees of the People. Can you name one
employer who would accept an employee ignoring company policy and trying to cover it up?
That person would be fired on the spot and you know it. So whats the difference between
the employer/employee and the elector/elected? NOTHING! If the employee does not want to
follow company policy and displays repeated like behavior then the only thing to do is fire
them and there are well defined ways of doing this too. Starting to get the picture of why this
issue is A BIG DEAL?

How can we trust anyone elected into public office that knowingly violates state law and then
remains silent on the issue? A person elected into public office has a legal and moral responsi-
bility to deal openly and honestly with those who elected them a concept completely foreign
to Stevens County government regarding this issue. So, why all the silence? Are you quietly
strategizing a way to sweep this all under the carpet? Will you try the tactics of making those
who brought this forward discredited? Maybe youre fixing the problem and coming up with a
solution to assure that it doesnt happen again. Its hard to tell from the silence.

HEY! Ive got a great idea. Why dont you all just act like responsible adults, acknowledge the
problem, accept the responsibility and work it out within the county with the People? That
would be the honorable approach; it would display integrity on your part. Or.you can just
continue to ignore the People, plot in the backroom and work on your reelection strategies.
Just remember the People ARE watching you this time.
Elected of Stevens County
Do the right thing!
Freedom Writer
VOLUME 1 I SSUE 4 MAY 23, 2014 PAGE 2