Your opinion is no less valid, though a bit more fatalistic, than the person who refuses to simply accept increased government controls over his business.
Your argument reminds me of a scene from a few movies from the 70’s when the bad guy is holding a knife to the throat of the protagonist…saying “We can do this quickly, with minimal pain…or you can fight me, and suffer.”
Licensing is not inevitable.
The congressman proposing it may be popular in her party, but those who oppose her politically would be happy to have a few citizens providing them with the support and ammunition to do so.
Watch a few too many movies James? As much as I am intrigued by how you would pit Senator Spanels enemies against her in the Washington State Senate…I think it is way out of reality…maybe best left for a hollywood drama.
I believe that the best results we will get is when we voice our opinions to Senator Spanel about sb6229. Granted I am sure that even us home inspectors can not all agree on what is best for us, as we each have a different idea of what is right. But hey that is Democracy.
I guess the other factor, that makes my view different that yours, is that I am not adamantly oppossed to licensing. Heck I want people to have state driver’s licenses for goodness sake. I like things like they are generally, but think licensing might be okay if what they enact is fair and not over the top.
If the result you are wanting is a law that governs your profession in Washington, I agree with you. Cooperation with the senator might…only, might…result in a change to existing proposal. Perhaps. Maybe…
The only assurance, however, that you can expect from this cooperation is the assurance that there will be a law. What it will require of you will be up to others…not you, to decide.
Fighting the legislation that you disapprove with the option of “no bill” is no less risky as to the type of law you may get if one is passed. It also is the most effective way of stopping a measure. If this proposal is not what you want and you wish to keep it from the governor’s desk, defeating it…not meekly providing input for its amendment…is the way to stop it.
I must agree with Jim, here in Florida we have actively been battling HI legislation since before 2003 and I can tell you that chaos works as a formidable tool in the battle to stop licensing legislation.
What you need is a few really coherent ideas in regards to licensing which are plausible and totally opposite from one another add to that a few totally off the wall notions and start sending them out to your Representatives and let the confusion do its work.
Make sure you let no voice become dominant and always have a logical response why one idea or another is not workable. Anarchy has always been best response to unjust laws and this is nothing different.
I don’t believe I used the words cooperation James.
I said “voice our opinions” (i.e. bitch, whine, moan, complain)
Besides like it has been said already, I don’t know that Senator Spanel has alot of…or enough, enemies to make your ideas work.
Unfortunately Washington is a democratic heavy state and she is in the majority. That leaves voicing our opinions directly to Senator Spanel.
In my case I am not ready for the SB as it currently stands. I believe it does have alot of problems as it is written, and if adopted needs some major revisions.
After following this thread, which concerns those wh do Inspections in Washington, I decided to modify my letters to Spanel, Kolle-Welles and others , I include the statement that
“You will be receiving many emails, letters, and phone calls from concerned Home Inspectors in Washington State about this matter. Many of these will have widely varying opinions, but many will come from people claiming to be Washington State Inspectors or to be Representing us, please ask all who claim that they are WAshington Home Inspectors for their WSDA SPI License number, a Washington Inspector will have one. Every Washington citizen or business owner has a right to voice their opinion, but not as a Home Inspector, and many of the emails and letters you receive may be from agitators from outside the State or organizations claiming to represent us, but who a truely pushing only their own agendas”
I’ll leave you guessing what the rest of my letter says
Sure James, its so much better to listen to you telling us how to do our jobs than to have someone we can actually vote for tell us. I’ve talked to both Senators involved before, and to members of their staffs recently, the WSDA License requirement doesn’t always connect with what they have and are trying to do, anyone can email them claiming to be a Washington Home Inspector, even you James, I just reminded them of an easy way to weed out the agitators and those making false claims.
Politicians usually know “how” to do their job, sometimes though they need to be reminded of what that job is, and in this case its to represent Washington, not Missouri, Florida, ASHI, or NACHI.
If you want to contiue this discussion do it on the already corrupted threads in State Legislation, I won’t reply to you here any longer, you or Windy
Here is the story that I believe is fueling the fire for Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles bill SB6229.
It is interesting that KIRO can only find one case about a home inspection gone wrong to feature in their “Consumer Investigations”
You would think that it would take a significant amount of complaints before legislation would be considered.
Based on what I see in the new home construction industry, it seems that builders would be the more likely subject of scrutiny.
Probably the president of the ASHI Seattle chapter, whom I won’t name, but can be easily found in the story.
except;
“He’s president of the Seattle chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors, a national organization that would also like to see quality home inspection legislation in our state.”
You can also find his name on the list of “Advisory Board” members.alnog with the name of a Nachi inspector who had a lot to do with the original SB6229.
The Boards proposal, to me, looks like another “Education” money making proposal for very few inspectors, this time though they call it mentoring, and even the President of ASHI Seattle want to eliminate hi own Candidates from competition, or possible, could it be, charge them for his and his buddies “mentoring services”
Lewis, who exactly on the list are you saying had a lot to do with the original bill? I don’t see anyone on the list that either had anything to do with it or supports it that I am aware of.
That would be our own NACHI Rep, Gerry Domagala, who actually did not iniate 6229, but who had approached State Rep Erickson with a proposed HI Regulation Law in Oct or Nov 05’, or there about, then he talked his propsal up at a training meeting and then Dave Waterman ended up taking his modified version to Spanel, then the ASHI guys got pi$$ed and voted to oppose 6229, as Waterman had not brought his proposal to them for apporoval, sounds familiar, now we have an advisory board pushing a Bill without the approval of members of their own associations.
By the way there is a forum located on the TIJ site set up just for Washington Inspectors, you would need to be added to the access list to enter, but Mike is usually pretty fast at doing that, there the subject of Washington Inspectors and those who do business there, could be kept to posts from those directly concerned.
No doubt, posting at TIJ is about as close as you can get to talking to yourself, without interruption…but why are you so intent upon having a secretive discussion on this effort?
