Letters: Resident questions British Columbia government policy

Dear Editor,

Re: “Richmond resident at a loss after special tax exemption revoked”

I am the heroine of Vikki Hui’s article in Richmond News Lately.

I am writing not to repeat what Miss Hui has written, but to express my frustration with the state of representative democracy.

The television series Seinfeld was famous for being a show about nothing. In my case, the British Columbia government has now taken that idea further by taxing people for doing nothing.

The bizarre notion that politicians are elected to serve the public has been replaced by the reality that they now have the ability to issue orders that contradict voters.

As voters, we must hold these people accountable for their irresponsible and irrational actions.

They shouldn’t have the right to impose hardships on others just because they won a popularity contest.

They are all average people, no more qualified to make fiscal and political decisions than your neighbor. They make mistakes, but their mistakes are always at the expense of others.

We may disagree about politics, but politics cannot be irrational.

If they do nothing, they will at least protect the rights of citizens. They are not omniscient decision-makers and can only do what we allow them to do.

It is certain that most people are not interested in politics and are not even able to name their representative.

This needs to change. People need to be more involved in a process that has such a huge impact on their lives.

When they come for your vote, ask them what they’ve accomplished. Hold them accountable, because if we don’t, they’re going to be like the crazy guy who won’t make it to the next election cycle.

We entrust them with the task of carrying out their work carefully and thoughtfully, but as with all employees, if they cannot do it properly, they should be fired and replaced with competent people.

Tony Chan

Richmond

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