Wayward Musings

By Kim F. Holec

Going once, going twice...

I decided to check my mail late this evening, and lo and behold, here was some bad news:

OAUA Fights Government Regulation -- Needs Your Help!

Please read the above article. The basic idea is that state governments, having no clue about the Internet as usual, have decided that they want in on the profits of e-commerce, and the states of NC, NH, and TN, with others soon to come, are either using old or setting up new laws which will require a buyer or seller on any online auction site to be a licensed auctioneer. Needless to say, this costs a great deal of money and time, and without said license, one can be thrown in jail and/or fined. 60% of convicted child abusers are back out on the streets, and yet these states and others want to punish those who just want to clear out their closets and sell a few vintage toys on Ebay.

Granted, there are some real auction houses selling and buying on these sites, but the vast majority of people buying and selling are just plain folks like you and me. And here's the really nasty part of the deal: say you who are in GA sell something to someone in NC who is not a "licensed auctioneer"--guess what, folks, the state gov of NC will not only go after the buyer in NC, but also you. This is not a joke. Government has always liked going after the little guys like you and me when we don't pay the taxes/fees/etc. that TPTB think they are "owed". What I want to know is why don't these governments concentrate on real criminals, like murders and child abusers? No profit in it, except for politicians at election time, with their empty promises of putting more criminals behind bars.

Now, here's the deal. The OAUA, on the above web site, has put together information for everyone to use to fight this trend; it's the old-fashioned way, a good grassroots campaign. Read over the information, and see what you can do. Sure, most of us don't live in a state where this is happening (*yet*), but letting state government officials elsewhere know that you are opposed to this type of regulation is claiming your right to free speech and free enterprise, two freedoms quickly being eroded in the "Land of the Free".

Please pass this along to all and anyone you know, and remember, as my parents like to say, if you didn't vote, you don't have a right to complain later.

Kim F. Holec is too many things to count. She was born under the sign of the Twins, so you figure it out. Even while she is at work, she is a part-time writer, editor and poet. She is owned by four cats, and some say she is herself a cat in disguise. She thinks of herself as a renaissance woman, because she is interested in many things, thus the changeable nature and topics of her writings.