Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind
Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?– Five Man Electrical Band, 1971, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYsBDmqJfjQ
One of the most insidious things the O’Bama regime did was to weaponize the federal bureaucracy and use that bureaucracy against people or groups who opposed O’Bama. The use of the IRS against TEA Party groups was simply one of many examples. The recently uncovered scandal involving the use of the intelligence community, the FBI and the Justice Department against the Trump for President campaign and in turn President Trump is the latest example. https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/05/the_weaponization_of_the_federal_bureaucracy.html
Here in Alaska, we have seen the Walker administration do the same thing, with the most recent example being the use of DOT&PF to apply a law against permanent billboards to temporary political signs. While this law has been around a while, it has never been enforced in the way the creative political hacks in the Walker administration are doing. The 2014 Walker campaign did not demand it be enforced, nor did the Walker administration enforce it during the 2016 campaign season.
But this year, it MUST be enforced at all costs. Conveniently, the Walker reelection campaign removed most of their large signs and purchased bus banners in the week or two before the order went out. Tell me that this was a coincidence.
So where does this come from? I would point right back to Walker consigliere and former Knowles Attorney General, Bruce Botelho, who weaponized the Knowles Attorney General’s office when at the direction of newly elected governor Tony Knowles, he dropped State of Alaska appeals of the Katie John case in 2001. This action, promised by Knowles to native separatists in the Bush turned over management of subsistence on federal lands to the feds, something Knowles promised during his campaign.
Had Botelho been representing all the people of the State of Alaska, he would have refused the order and resigned in protest. Sadly, he chose to represent Knowles, tossing away a sizeable chunk of state sovereignty like so much discarded garbage.
Apparently remembering his fine work under Knowles, incoming governor Bill Walker picked Botelho to put together his administration. In doing do, Walker brought Botelho’s weaponization of the state bureaucracy statewide to all departments. He put together an administration populated exclusively by democrats, union hacks and people who are loyal to party rather than the people of this state.
While personnel turnover normally stops at the political appointee level, under Walker and Botelho, this also reached all the way down to Boards and Commissions appointees. Essentially, if you donated or supported the wrong candidates, you were no longer qualified for public service in the Walker administration. This led to the conversion of ANGDA into the vehicle to build and run Walker’s personal white whale, the in-state natural gas pipeline. Most recently this weaponization has aimed public union employees in DOT&PF against political signs on roadways statewide.
The only surprising reaction to this has been the lack of lawsuits filed so far. Reaction of the Binkley-owned ADN has been to go after the various campaigns for breaking the law, cheering the Walker administration for enforcing state law, essentially making the same argument they made in support of the Parking Authority and Begich’s photo radar two decades ago. Perhaps the crime problem here in the state has been solved to the point where there is nothing else to do other than harass political campaigns. Perhaps the ADN is licking its corporate chops in expectation of a wave of political ad sales during the next few months.
There is a drawback to weaponization of the bureaucracy at any level of government. That drawback is that once the bureaucracy is weaponized and the leadership of the government turns over to the other party, you have given operational control of a very powerful entity into the hands of your political enemies. Democrats are finding this out as the Trump administration turns the weaponized O’Bama federal bureaucracy against itself. This is what draining the swamp is all about, and it is about to come north to Alaska.
How might this happen here in Alaska? It would be pretty easy, and no small amount of fun to watch. Following the firing on day one of every single Walker – Botelho political appointee, I would do a rolling reorg of all state departments, boards and commissions, eliminating with extreme prejudice anyone hired or appointed during the Walker years.
Second part would be the fun part. I would enforce the Janus decision, and no longer require or check for union membership for any state employee. Better still, I would stop automatic collection of union dues via state paychecks. If the public employee unions, whose members are today gleefully confiscating political campaign signs for the Walker administration, would rather be democrat shills than serving everyone in the state, I would let them figure out how to collect their own dues.
One of SECDEF Mattis’ observations on combat is that the enemy gets a vote. And if you choose a fight, be very, very careful that the return fire is not unexpected.
I believe the democrats, unions, greens and native separatists who put Walker into office and have celebrated his weaponization of the state bureaucracy are going to regret their actions starting early in December.
Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He is a small business owner and Information Technology professional.
