Roach: This Is Why People Hate Politics

Roach: This Is Why People Hate Politics

Reading through the GoLocal coverage of Providence’s financial woes, I was reminded of a conversation I had with a young man in South Providence in 2004. At the time, my church was running a program called the Citizen Education Campaign wherein we sought to educate folks in urban communities about their political efficacy. As I handed a voter registration form to this particular young man he said, “No thanks. Politicians are all the same. Doesn’t matter the party they will always screw you. I’m not voting. As long as I have a roof over my head, I’m all good.”

I didn’t have much of a response. I wasn’t sure if there was anything I could say to dissuade this young man from his opinion and those of his friends who nodded in agreement. Fast forward seven years, and it’s my belief that the lack of political power of the urban community is directly correlated to the financial crisis Providence is facing.

At the heart of the issue is this man and the thousands like him who believe their voice doesn’t matter and that regardless of who is in power, they will be the ones without a voice. So what’s the point in voting? To be honest, I understand their perspective and more so as we watch former Providence Mayor David Cicilline describe how financially responsible he was.

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If you were a Providence resident hearing him defend his actions the way he has all the while reading about $110 million deficits, school closings, tax increases, and the city possibly going into receivership would you really have any faith in politics?

‘You can’t trust them to do what’s right’

This is why people hate politics and politicians. You can’t trust them to do what’s right and when they do something wrong they try to blame the other guy. And ultimately, the people who get screwed are you and me. So it’s understandable for people to remove themselves from the process; a process they feel unable to affect. Nonetheless, there can never be change without someone taking the first step.

Yes, it’s cliché but true. Now, more than ever we need the voice of common everyday people to be heard in our state. We need people to care more about taxes than gay marriage. We need people to care more about the economy than abortion. We need people to care more about our failing schools than making sure entitlement programs are funded.

I sincerely believe that if we go through this crisis the same way we’ve gone through other crises in the past, our future will be in jeopardy. Let’s not leave the politicians to themselves to figure out what to do. Let’s tell them what to do and make sure they do it. I know it’s easy to hate politics and there’s good reason, but our future depends on collectively banding together demanding different solutions to problems that threaten our state like we not seen before.

So don’t hate Cicilline and others for working the system and leaving serious problems in their wake. Instead, let’s change the system. We can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines, literally.

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