John Washington III Asks Why Voters Keep Following Politicians Whose Actions Tell a Different Story

John Washington III asked why people keep following politicians who, he wrote, do not care about them, questioning why voters care so much about what somebody thinks when that same person does not care anything about them. He wrote that politicians tell voters what they want to hear, promise change and claim they are fighting for their families, then asked where that same energy is when it is time to make decisions that affect voters' lives.

John Washington III asked why some politicians campaign on one thing and then vote for something completely different, and why people continue defending those politicians without even checking their voting records. "Stop listening to what they say and start paying attention to what they do," he wrote.

John Washington III then turned to money in public office, noting that most members of Congress receive an annual salary of $174,000 and asking how some politicians become millionaires while holding office - whether through investments, businesses or inheritance, or through financial relationships and payments the public does not know about. He said having millions of dollars does not automatically mean somebody committed a crime, but that being a public official should never put anyone above financial scrutiny.

John Washington III pointed to the public financial disclosure requirements that members of Congress already have and asked why the American people should not examine those records - who is paying an official, who they are doing business with, who benefits financially from their decisions, and whether they are using public office to serve the people or to enrich themselves. He said any politician who is secretly accepting illegal payments in exchange for political favors should be investigated, and that if the evidence proves corruption, they should be held accountable, calling that not public service but a betrayal.