Sheriff Election

[Bullwinkle]

        You have obviously not been T-boned by a youngster texting/talking on their phone. My daughter was, with her two children in the car. I know of one similar incident that was fatal to a friend of mine. They are more dangerous than anyone else on the road. Just sit at any corner in Wichita and count the number of people on their phone. Most times I have done so, more than 70% were on their phone. I have been behind people speeding up and slowing down, weaving over the centerline. Were they drinking? No, they were on their phone.

       Vehicles smaller? Most trucks are actually larger, and pulling larger trailers. 45 and 50 footers. The old law kept them 40ft and smaller. Most pickups are larger as well, 3/4 ton and up.

[redcliffsw]

Good point.

However, I don't see any correlation for so many Sheriff's employees to drugs, thefts, etc.  More government employees is an indication that this country is gearing up to wind down.

[Mcordell]

You don't see a correlation between crime rates and law enforcement staffing? If you are looking for government conspiracy you will find one whether it's there or not. I can assure you if I'm elected at no point will I or my deputies be "gearing up" to suppress the populace. I want an agency that is part of the community and serves to protect the rights of citizens.

[redcliffsw]

I fail to see that more deputies keeps down crime.  There are probably more speeding tickets. 

It seems to me that if you're a constitutional sheriff, you would already be a part of the community and defender of liberty.  That's more than one can say about the majority of the Elk County Commission or the school board operation.

Stay right in there and perhaps you'll be the Sheriff of Elk County, Kansas.





 

[redcliffsw]

So how's your take on the Click It or Ticket campaign being waged by the government?

Just think of the money being spent on media advertising.  Looks like some law people are adding support to the governments' campaign.  Could be some government grant money being awarded too. 

Thought you might have something to say about that issue.

[Mcordell]

I don't have an issue with click it or ticket. The intent is that grant money is provided to pay for the overtime wages of officers who work the campaign. It's not intended to be a way to gain money for other uses. By having the grant money, the agency is able to field officers who are specifically working toward occupant safety enforcement. This is, in my opinion, better than using county tax dollars to accomplish the same goal.

[redcliffsw]

Then you really have no problem or any real issues with tyranny.
 
You would take government grant money to use against the citizens.  There's most likely other outside sources of money that would be acceptable to you as sheriff.

It appears that you would not be a constitutional sheriff.  You're too liberal.

Since you do not have an issue with the thing called "click it or ticket", then I'm of the opinion that you're not ready to be the Sheriff.   Fair enough?

[Bullwinkle]

         Seat belts save lives, pure and simple, no argument you can make to disprove that.

      I do have issues with checkpoints where you are detained simply for using the road and are scrutinized in every aspect. It is like being in another country.

[Mcordell]

Redcliff,

I'm more than happy to answer your questions just as I do anyone else's, however I do so knowing that you and I are not going to see eye to eye on many issues.  It's simply human nature that we are not going to agree on everything.  Clearly this is one of those areas.  I respect your right to form your own opinion about me and cast your vote however you see fit, even if your opinion is based on faulty logic.  Equating my willingness to support and use click it or ticket funds to increase occupant safety in the county to me not having a problem or real issue with tyranny is a false equivalence at the least.  These funds are allocated to pay only the wages of officers to work the road to enforce occupant safety laws.  The alternative for a Sheriff who wishes to do the same thing without accepting grant money would be to use local tax dollars to pay for the same enforcement efforts.  I think in a county where people are already taxed quite considerably, the use of budget tax dollars for this would be irresponsible and would lessen the available funding for other important expenses such as equipment and training.  This is most definitely not "taking government grant money to use against the citizens" as you claim. 

Further, drawing the conclusion that acceptance of click it or ticket funding is symptomatic of a sheriff that would be willing to accept other outside sources of money is a logical fallacy that, quite frankly, is ludicrous.  If I am elected Sheriff of Elk County, I can assure you I will fight to defend your rights and would give my own life to protect the citizens of Elk County from harm.  Click it or ticket is in no way a violation of your rights. 

If your issue lies not only with the grant money, but also with the enforcement of seatbelt laws, I believe we may disagree once again.  Earlier this year I responded to a call of a reckless driver that had left the roadway and came back onto the roadway on K39 Hwy westbound.  While I was en route to the call, I got a second call from a passerby that was reporting a car in the ditch.  Upon arrival I found the car from the original call in the ditch.  The car had left the roadway on the north side of the road and had the unfortunate luck of doing so at a concrete culvert.  The vehicle went airborne and struck the other side of the culvert at a fairly high rate of speed.  I made my way down into the mud to the driver window where I found the driver seat-belted in the driver seat and unconscious.  I then went around to the passenger side where I found his wife.  She had not been wearing her seatbelt and clearly had significant injuries from the impact and it appeared she was struggling to breathe.  I requested a helicopter to respond to transport the injured and while waiting for EMS and the helicopter to arrive I stayed on the passenger side of the vehicle and watched helplessly as the woman died in front of me.  The driver was extracted from the vehicle and transported to the hospital where he survived the ordeal.  Had the passenger been wearing her seatbelt, she likely would have lived as well.  This was not the first time I watched someone die at an accident scene that wasn't wearing their seatbelt and unfortunately it won't be the last. 

Last night I responded to a call, also on K39 hwy, of a vehicle in the ditch.  This vehicle was eastbound and left the roadway to the north, also going over a culvert in a very similar fashion.  This vehicle was more badly damaged and had flipped, coming to a rest on it's wheels.  The driver was wearing their seatbelt and was able to exit the vehicle and walk away with very minor injuries.

I could inundate you with statistical data on seatbelt usage, however I'm sure you would claim those studies were funded by NHTSA which is a tyrannical arm of the oppressive government that's just trying to keep the populace subservient so there's no point in doing so.  Instead I offer you my own personal observations as to why I know seatbelts save lives.  Our own community was touched by tragedy not long ago which may have been mitigated with seatbelt use.  If my actions in enforcing seatbelt use and in utilizing grant money to cover the related expenses of such enforcement save even one citizen's life, then it will be worth it. 

You are absolutely entitled to your opinions about me, the government, and seatbelt use, but until you watch someone die in front of you, until you have to knock on a door and tell someone their loved one will never come home, all of which could have been easily prevented by using a seatbelt, your opinion will not sway mine.

To answer your question, yes, that's fair enough.  It's fair enough for you to base your vote on whatever you wish.  It's fair enough for you to form your own opinions about me, even if they are based on repeated bait questions where you actively look for a reason to disagree with me.  I respect your right to do so and if I'm elected Sheriff I can promise you I won't hold it against you and will treat you fairly and professionally, as I will any other citizen.  I take my duty to my community very seriously.  I understand I won't have your vote at the polls but when I'm done working my 12 hour shift overnight tonight, serving the citizens of this community, I'll ponder over your accusation of me being "too liberal" and "not a constitutional sheriff" and in the early morning hours, as most people are just starting their day, I'll go home and lie down and sleep soundly knowing I have done everything I can to be fair, professional, and respectful and that in the end I'm just not going to have everyone's vote no matter what I do.

Bullwinkle,

I also do not believe in setting up checkpoints to indiscriminately stop motorists with no reasonable suspicion and I will not organize, nor will I or any of my deputies partake in such tactics in Elk County if I am elected.

[redcliffsw]

Nobody has said that they're against the wearing of seat belts.  However, it's a bad thing when government force is used to enforce such for socialists' goals of so-called "public safety" by lawmen, especially sheriffs who ought be defenders of the consititution and American liberty.

Again, your last post of statements reflect no real isssues with tyranny in America.  You appear to be bent for the ways of tyranny.

Your reasoning to force the wearing of seat belt is much like the reasons for banning of guns.

One social program supports and furthers another social program.  Socialism has worked its way into much of our lives and there's no end in sight for further government encroachment against our individual liberty that remains.

We ought to look to the founders and the Constitution, not to the government agencies and programs.  I'm for electing sheriffs who will stand for American liberty and who are not beholden to government tyrants and their crony capitalism.