July 14, 2008

I just saw this Washington Times article, D.C. ANC members break rules without redress and my blood is boiling, again.  When is enough enough?! Don't get me wrong.  Not every ANC Commission or Commissioner is running a scam.  I see many ANCs work tirelessly with no thanks for no other reason than they want their community to succeed. They give more than they receive and they are deserving of our support and appreciation. They deserve a big gold star and an even bigger hug.

That being said, there are other ANC Commissioners who are at best mismanaging ANC funds and at worst flat out stealing. That's right I said it, STEALING.

This is not just a Ward 8 or East of the River problem.  This is a District-wide problem and it doesn't seem like anyone, pardon my french,  gives a good goddamn about it. Regardless what the bumpersticker may say, there is no point reporting waste and fraud to the Office of the DC Auditor's, the Office of the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, or even a DC Council Member.  Either they don't care or they don't care enough to do anything about it, other than issue a pretty bland letter telling you they can't do anything about it (if you are lucky enough to get that).  In over three years Congress Heights on the Rise has long chronicled instances of ANC 8C waste and mismanagement and no one in D.C.'s government is willing to step up and stop it. It's like the Hot Potato game of fraud and no one wants to get caught holding the bag when the music stops.  Our tax payer dollars keep circling the drain and the only response seems to be increasing our taxes to cover the gap.

Aug 1, 2008

Instead of adding more water to the tub why not plug the holes? If $5 out of every $10 in government spending is going to waste why not cut out the waste instead of raising another $5 in taxes? (Numbers used for outrage illustation purposes only.)

It doesn't help when our public officials are constantly caught in ethical and legal scandals of their own.  How can I, as  Jane Q. Public, be expected to bring fraud to the attention of a public official when they themselves are accused of fraud? How can I ask them to be mindful of my tax dollars when they don't pay any of their own? How can the public to to the DC government to demand transparency when DC government is shrouded in a cloak of secrecy? How can I expect everyday people to be held accountable when the people who hold the public's trust aren't held accountable? What do you do when all the "good guys" start looking like "bad guys"?

As I sit here, typing this with all the righteous indignation I can muster, I know that what I am saying,  while truthful, will most likely be met with glares, contempt, and meaningless lip service.

Aug 13, 2008

I guess nobody wants to hug (or hire) a tattletail. :(

Let's start talking turkey. As the old saying goes, "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones," so I suppose everyone's lip is going to stay sealed and the DC tax payer's wallet is going to stay open for business.

They don't say, "snitches get stitches" for nothing.

I want to believe in D.C. government. I really do. But it is getting harder to believe (and even harder to trust) when everyone seems to be playing fast and loose with my tax dollars and even more lax with the law.  I work h-a-r-d for my little bit of money  and I need leaders who are working hard to protect it and not just when the well has run dry or the latest scandal has made front page news.

We need public officials (of all levels) and government employees to do the right thing because it's the right thing to do. It's not enough to encourage people to speak up, we need to listen to them and actaully do something, not just look like we are doing something.

April 27, 2009

Am I just being idealistic? Is the reality that in order to "get along you have to go along"? Is there no such thing as public service for the sake of public service or is it just a hustle to get closer to the cookie jar?

What is an honest person to do? Seriously, I really need to know because I don't have a clue.