Editorial: Pardon me, Can you please stop robbing me blind?

I am saying this not as The Advoc8te but as a Ward 8 resident.

I am disgusted and p*ssed off.


With every new expose or article unveiling the amount of money that was funnelled to Barry girlfriends for non existent work...money allocated to non existent Barry non profits I feel more disgusted, outraged and violated.

This isn't just a political corruption machine this is a crime syndicate and victims are spread District wide. I can't help but imagine how this money could have been used in a much better way. I was already at a loss to determine what exactly do some of these long term Ward 8 organizations accomplish and I think I have my answer - nothing -except for funnelling tax dollars into their own pockets.

In reference to today's Washington City Paper article James Bunn says in response to Ms. Bowen's alleged work for the Ward 8 Business Council, "It wasn't rocket science".

Agreed.

It's not rocket science it's easy to see that graft for graft's sake is not only criminal but is victimizing our community over and over again. If this type of corruption is what Marion Barry had in mind when he promises over and over again to "keep fighting for the people" then I am pleading with him to please stop fighting - I don't think Ward 8 can financially afford this type of fighting. The price is literally just to damn high.

For $5k a month I can think of all the wonderful things that could be accomplished on MLK Ave in Congress Heights. Think of the progress and improvements that could be made to storefronts, common spaces and tree boxes just to name a few. What type of improvements could have been made to Shepherd Park for $5,000?

At the end of the day this is not just about Marion Barry it is about the desperate need for Ward 8 to elect NEW leaders without all the baggage and ties to the old corrupt machine. It is time for transparency. It is time for honesty and most importantly it is time for new leadership that sees service not as an opportunity to fatten their own pockets but an opportunity to SERVE.

I am tired of going to ANC 8C meetings and feeling like the patients are running the insane asylum. I sat in the last ANC 8C meeting and watched as Commissioner William Ellis (8C01) as ANC 8C treasurer was reciting the financial report for ANC 8C when he got to the part where he was about to list the over $27,000 in expenditures for the proposed ANC 8C budget and ANC 8C Commissioner Cuthbert cut him off and told him not to read that aloud - that WE THE COMMUNITY DIDN'T NEED TO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE SPENDING THE MONEY ON.

WTF?

The only thing more outrageous than Commissioner Cuthbert trying to hide (again) what exactly ANC 8C funds are being spent on is that all the other commissioners remained silent even after several ANC 8C residents voiced their concerns about not sharing exactly what the $27,000 was going to be spent on.

This is how Ward 8 has become a breeding ground for corruption. I call it "trickle down curroptionomics" and it is happening way to often.

As a Ward 8 resident I am tired of feeling like I am being robbed. When will someone step in and put a stop to this?

For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner


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