Lingamfelter: The Fight for Freedom Has Just Begun

Delegate Scott Lingamfelter

Friends,

I have BAD news.  Today the Senate Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources Committee KILLED the Boneta Bill.  The room was packed with supporters and activists who travelled from all over the state…literally!  After a VERY long committee meeting, we only had 4 brave Senators vote YES to support Martha- (Dick Black, Mark Obenshain, Bill Stanley, and Richard Stuart. Be sure to thank them!).  The rest of the Committee voted NO and killed the bill in Committee. 

As for some encouraging news, I fought for many years to repeal the law that restricted law abiding citizens’ right to purchase firearms (the so called “one-gun-a-month” law) and fought for 8 years to successfully pass Performance Audits in the Commonwealth; when we did, one agency alone, VDOT, found $1.4 billion.  I share this because THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER.  Today, the Farm Bureau and the Virginia Association of Counties won, but THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER.  I will continue to fight for property rights, for the rights of small farmers, and for the rights of small businesses.  I pledge to press forward in this fight to protect those, like Martha Boneta, who have suffered at the hand of out-of-control local governments and bureaucrats.

The fight for freedom and the fight for liberty have just begun! 

Over the last several months, I have received some of the most touching and heartfelt emails and phone calls from people across the Commonwealth and across the country.  I have read emails from small business owners who just can’t catch a break from their local governments, I’ve read messages from farmers who have been hamstrung beyond reason by local bureaucrats “just because”, and I’ve read emails from concerned citizens who are sick of government “getting in the way”.  No matter what their story was, the emails always ended with a sincere expression of gratitude for introducing the legislation.  And I can’t thank everyone enough for those messages. I want to thank you all for the prayers as well!   We could never have gotten this far without your prayers and support!

Make no mistake about it- today was a big victory for property rights and for protecting the Right to Farm Act. Although we will have to come back next year and fight again, we have drawn a distinct line in the sand. We have shown local governments that we will not sit idle while they draw up regulations that strangle small business owners who are just trying to make a living.  And we have shown them that we can win. They never thought we’d get this far but we did.

Next year we will go all the way.  We will need your continued help and support to press on and win! 

As I have said before, we aren’t done.  Over the next year, I am going to travel the Commonwealth to spread the message about The Boneta Bill.  I am not going to let up.  Martha won’t either.

If I am fortunate enough to earn your support as your next Lt. Governor, I promise you that we will cross the finish line together.

With warm regards, Scott