John Washington III Asks Politicians Who Claim to Work for the People: Where Is the Fight?
Presidential candidate John Washington III is challenging politicians who campaign on fighting for the people to explain why they do not fight to hold corrupt police officers accountable - and why they talk about lowering property taxes instead of ending them on the homes families own and live in.
"HOW CAN YOU CLAIM TO WORK FOR THE PEOPLE WHEN YOU NEVER FIGHT FOR THE PEOPLE?" John Washington III wrote, opening a statement aimed at politicians in both parties. Every election season, he said, voters hear the same lines - "I'M WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE!", "I'M FIGHTING FOR THE PEOPLE!", "I'M HERE TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE!" - and he asked: "BUT MY QUESTION IS, WHERE IS THE FIGHT?"
John Washington III pointed first to policing. When police officers abuse their authority or engage in corruption, he asked, where are the politicians who claim to represent the people - why are they not fighting to hold corrupt officers accountable, and why are they not standing up for the citizens who put them in office?
He then turned to property taxes. Politicians always talk about lowering property taxes, John Washington III wrote, but never seriously discuss ending property taxes on the homes people own and live in. A family can spend 20 or 30 years paying off a home, he said, only to keep paying property taxes on that same home for the rest of their lives. "WHEN DO THE PEOPLE ACTUALLY GET TO OWN WHAT THEY WORKED THEIR ENTIRE LIVES TO PAY FOR?" he wrote. He also asked how a politician can campaign on lowering property taxes, get elected, and then vote for tax increases - and how many citizens even know what is being voted on when those votes happen.
"WHERE IS THE TRANSPARENCY? WHERE IS THE ACCOUNTABILITY? WHERE IS THE REPRESENTATION?" John Washington III wrote. A politician cannot stand in front of cameras during election season claiming to fight for the people, he said, and then ignore the issues affecting their everyday lives once in office.
