(It could be dangerous to your health, safety, and welfare)

Please take a few minutes to watch this video.  Pay special attention to the "bridged" answer when the reporter asked if there have been  specific instances where anyone has been injured by an unregulated interior designer.  This is what ASID teaches its spokespeople to do.  (Bridging is the art of answering a different question than the one that was asked, to change the subject back to the intended message, i.e., "spin").

What's your reaction to this report?  Do we  need to have regulation of interior designers, to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public?

Who is the major beneficiary of regulation laws?  The "target" designer (who was forced by legislation to abandon her successful career) answered this question at the end of the segment. Here is the link:

http://reason.tv/video/show/throw-pillow-fight

One of IDPC's newest members, who has taken the time to explore model legislation thoroughly, expounded about the extreme nature of the legislation which enraged him.   When  education, experience and examination are established as the exclusive way to be a professional designer, they become an engulfing dogma that will endanger our profession and eradicate our freedom to practice.

Many questions emerged during the meeting, which were answered with  exact, empirical evidence and examples to support IDPC's  effort to thwart legislation.   The electrifying effect was the total engagement of everyone attending, the establishment of five new committees, the expansion of IDPC's membership, and extension  of our enterprise in the next four weeks .  Everyone left the event, knowing that they were empowered to eliminate the enemy and maintain the equality that exemplifies our creative profession.

Since the meeting, Patti Morrow (the Executive Director of IDPC) and I have exchanged several e-mails.  We have come up with a new "battle cry" for IDPC-NW (Oregon):

Oregon:

The End of the Lewis and Clark expedition;
The End of the Oregon Trail;
The End of Interior Design Legislation!

Join IDPC today!  We are Energetic, Ethical, and Effective.

Link to IDPC Membership Application:  http://www.idpcinfo.org/membership.html

Email to get more information about IDPC-NW (Oregon):  diane@idpc-nw.org

In September, 1954, my parents sold their Mom ‘n Pop grocery store in Northeast Portland. They purchased a brand new charcoal and salmon Chevrolet, with the intention of driving around the United States to visit my mother’s family and to reconnect with Navy friends from World War II. I had just started attending third grade at Kennedy School. My mother promised my teacher and the principal that they would make this trip a living history lesson, and she assured them that I would study my math book.

Mom and Dad delivered on their promise. We stopped at every historical marker along the way, as we traveled through the northern states: Idaho, Montana, South Dakota (to see Mt. Rushmore), Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, on our way to the East Coast. U.S. history came alive for me, because my parents explained the significance of everything we saw. As long as I live, I will never forget the thrill of walking through Independence Hall, where our visionary forefathers fought over every word as they created the foundation of our country. I touched the crack of the Liberty Bell. Yes, the metal was cold, and the fall weather was crispy, but it was the thrill of touching a symbol of freedom that gave me goosebumps. How many other fingers had also touched the same spot I was touching?

Inside Independence Hall, my father lifted me up, so I could see the Declaration of Independence as he read it. He was a naturalized citizen, born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. My mother was a first-generation American, whose parents had immigrated from Portugal at the turn of the century. Often, I’ve wondered how they felt when they saw the Statue of Liberty. They understood the importance of being proud Americans; Thank God they took the time to help me understand, so I can continue their wonderful legacy.  In five months, we traveled over 25,000 miles through 27 states and Washington, D.C.  “America The Beautiful” is particularly significant, because I got to experience it firsthand, from sea to shining sea.

It hurts, and I get angry when I learn about any injustice in my homeland, especially when  individual freedom is affected by the greed of companies, other individuals, and organizations.   Ours is still a young country, by world standards. We are experiencing growing pains, similar to a pre-pubescent child who doesn’t understand all of the changes that are occurring. There is so much I can and should do to help our country, but there aren’t enough hours in the day to become thoroughly informed about all of the issues affecting the United States and the entire world.   I’m following my mother’s example:  To become active in one or two causes that mean a lot to me, and to work hard, so my efforts will have a positive impact on others.

Almost four years ago, I became aware of  the battle to protect the rights of Americans who chose to become interior designers.  Everyone in this country is granted the freedom to pursue happiness, which includes the right to follow a career path.  Until then, I had been lulled, like so many other interior designers, into believing what the American Society of Interior Designers and the National Council for Interior Design Qualification had been saying, i.e.,  “Legislation to regulate interior designers is inevitable, and it’s needed to establish minimum competency standards for the profession.”

After I studied two proposed bills that had been introduced,  I was taken back to the days that my father read the Declaration of Independence to me, and when I saw the Bill of Rights and the Constitution while we were in Washington, D.C.  “This isn’t right!” was all I could think.  With hundreds of hours of research completed in the subsequent years, I’m more committed than ever to end the injustice being imposed on interior designers all over the country.  I have learned that the proposed legislation not only hurts designers, it hurts everyone that designers work with professionally, including consumers.

Independence Day, 2010.  I renew my vow to fight unfair, unwarranted, unreasonable legislation.  Please join IDPC, so we can celebrate freedom together.

"Let Freedom Ring"