Jarrod West has seen the other side of government. Instead of service with a smile, it’s no service, no smile and a slap at fundamental freedoms. He bought a house in Valley Center, Kansas, only to discover that his new neighborhood floods, regularly. It flooded again this June, long after having been promised help (he said) from the city administrator. So he put up a sign on his lawn, addressing the city:
Fix this problem
That’s what I pay taxes for.
PS. Joel This Means You!
City administrator Joel Pile was not amused. He convinced the city attorney to file defamation charges against West. Pile explained that “individuals have an absolute right to free speech. But however, when they do it and continue to do it within the realms of what we believe is actual malice for the purpose of holding me accountable to the public we believe that crosses a line.…”
You gotta love that “but however” segue, wherein “absolute rights” vanish after “a line” has been crossed. Plus, Pile objects to being held “accountable to the public.”
More pertinently, Pile claims that he’s not responsible, claiming that only the city council can rectify West’s flooding. That’s under dispute, and worth debating.
But if any line has been crossed, it’s been crossed by Pile and the city attorney. West ought to be free to speak, and criticize — even unjustly — his local government.
Why? That’s the foundation of a republican form of government, where citizens are in charge, and the employees are “public servants.”
Not rulers.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
5 replies on “What a Pile”
So„„what happened then.…
I want to know what happened and how it was resolved. Please!!
Perhaps if Mr Pile does not want to be accountable to the citizens, he could serve on a voluntary basis and relinquish the salary he has been getting.
He is apparantly overpaid anyway.
Joel Pile needs his ass kicked out, ASAP. If he doesn’t want to serve the public, he shouldn’t get paid to be a public servant.
You, on the other hand, are the best, Paul Jacob. I post most of your stuff to my friends on fb. I call you “the smartest man in the room”.
I agree with you Liz, Paul Jacob is one of the few people that is a honest sincere man and speaks the truth, wish there were more like him
I think the title says it all. Unfortunately, too many people in government, such as Pile, use government for their own ends, not the ends of the public. Somehow, it seems God got his last name right.