Letter: Go for it

From an early age, many of us were taught to hold our elected officials in high esteem. Only after a close examination of our representation do we begin to question whether some of them truly represent their constituents instead of special interests whose objectives may be incompatible with the wishes of the people, let alone with the operation of a constitutionally defined government.

This is true at all levels of government. Informed citizens increasingly demand transparency, the end of special-interest influence and curbs on spending, whether it's Washington, D.C., the state of Florida, Collier County or Marco Island.

How do your representatives vote on issues you care about? Do you know how they vote on anything? What legislation, statutes or policies have they authored? What committees are they active on? Where does their campaign funding come from? When your representatives consider an issue important to favored special interests, where do you rank? Is at the bottom of their list — after everyone else who was promised favorable treatment? Are you giving your elected representatives your vote without their earning it? Don't!

We must return control of all levels of the government to citizens — from city hall to the U.S. Capitol — as envisioned by our brilliant Founding Fathers. Get Out of Our House or GOOOH (pronounced "go"; goooh.com) has a strategy to find candidates who will be accountable only to voters. Let's go for it.