Where's the democracy

I read the articles and letters in the papers and watch the news and it is all to clear why we have a major credibility and honesty crisis at every level of government. 


Is it any wonder that the 50 percent that bother to vote at all have absolutely no expectations of politicians being honest, accountable to the voters or behave in an legal ethical manner while in office, we quite simply expect them to be unethical or corrupt as a consequence of being a public servant, electing someone to public office under the present system is the equivalent of giving them a licence to lie, steal, with total impunity. 


Sure they promised not to sell BC Rail, but what the hell who is it hurting, the other guys would do worse, sure they ran a election campaign on a absolute lie about not even looking at the HST but we all know they are liars so what if they brought in a major tax policy without any mandate at all, so what did you expect, why are we surprised about anything our elected public servants do, we don’t expect any better of them anyway. 


The voters do not hold them accountable for their lies and illegal actions anyway, somehow many people think that is just the cost of having government. 


This unethical behaviour has become so entrenched in our system that we hardly even protest anymore just roll over and take it as a matter of coarse. 


There is a watershed moment in political history available to the voters of BC, we can do as usual and turn the other cheek ensuring that politics in BC will carry on as usual, sleazy unethical, corrupt or we can literally change the way politics is practiced by setting a new higher standard for public officials, that says yes you shall be accountable for your actions, yes you shall pay a heavy price for lying and stealing. 


We are at a crossroads and it is up to you whether all the effort to get to this crossroad is just a minor blip in same old game, or a new more honest, accountable form of democracy. 


If you want a new era of accountable honest politicians, where elections are more than meaningless wastes of taxpayer money, politicians that are forced to be more honest  ethical and transparent, politicians that as a matter of course know they need to get a mandate from the people for any new polices they want to introduce. 


Vote yes to not only extinguish the HST, but for a whole long overdue new direction for politics and democracy in BC. 


Wayne Clark