Hey you!
Yeah you, up there on your self-elevated, self-important platform. WeB次元官网网址檙e talking to you.
All of you.
IB次元官网网址檓, of course, talking about politicians, elected and appointed.
Pay attention. WeB次元官网网址檙e down here. Remember us? The voters. The real people.
YouB次元官网网址檙e all up there prancing around, squabbling with each other while forgetting about us.
DonB次元官网网址檛 deny it. Take a moment and look at yourselves B次元官网网址� look in the mirror.
Why is it that any party politician who stands up for her or his constituents ends up not with a promotion, but a new name and address? As in independent, at the back of the room.
We donB次元官网网址檛 really care if you can sing Jumping Jack Flash or how many dinner speeches you make telling us how great your government is. ThatB次元官网网址檚 all window dressing at best.
We want to see and live with the results of what you have done to make life better for your constituents, your community and country instead of your cronies or campaign contributors.
Are you listening to the people who vote in your riding or are you listening to lobbyists?
When you run for office, we donB次元官网网址檛 want to hear you slagging other parties. You have to remember, especially here in B.C., that todayB次元官网网址檚 Liberal is tomorrowB次元官网网址檚 NDPer and vice-versa.
We want to remind you, itB次元官网网址檚 not about you, itB次元官网网址檚 about us. ItB次元官网网址檚 not about politics, itB次元官网网址檚 about governing. You seem to forget that, and weB次元官网网址檙e getting angry about it.
You make promises before elections, then break them immediately afterwards. You make certain that the Canadian pension plan for us isnB次元官网网址檛 improved, while taking full advantage of your own protected gold-plated government pensions.
You cut social programs for us while taking advantage of meal and travel allowances for yourself, increasing the size of your cabinets and your public relations departments.
You complain about other politicians stacking the Senate. You complain about the Senate blocking the government from doing itB次元官网网址檚 job, then you turn around and do the same thing on an even greater scale.
WeB次元官网网址檙e getting so tired of it all. We just want our country, provinces and municipalities to be run wisely.
We want fair taxes, not ongoing downloading of taxes onto the middle class. We want our valued programs, including medical care, pensions and education, to be funded and funded fairly.
We also want you to think about something. Something you donB次元官网网址檛 have to think about all that often, maybe every four years or so. Something a fair number of you will have to think about this year.
WeB次元官网网址檙e the voters and weB次元官网网址檙e thinking about you. WeB次元官网网址檙e talking about you. WeB次元官网网址檙e remembering all you did and didnB次元官网网址檛 do. Your promises, kept and broken. Your successes and your failures.
So what will it be, more promises you know you wonB次元官网网址檛 keep? More attack ads that distract from the issues instead of dealing with them? Larger salaries for you, and more cuts for us?
Will you step up and represent your constituents rather than your leader and party? Will you act rather than talk? Will you acknowledge when you are wrong and the other side is right? Will you promise not to take away from the the average Joe and Jane the services youB次元官网网址檙e keeping for yourself?
You might want to think about all of that. At least this year, because weB次元官网网址檙e the voters, weB次元官网网址檙e coming to a polling station near you very soon and weB次元官网网址檝e got a lot to think about.
ddenton@vicnews.com
B次元官网网址擠on Denton is photo supervisor for Black Press South Island.
