Dear Editor,

Thanks to Rich Coleman for giving me this opportunity for a little sarcasm.

On Tuesday, Rich announced he will be running for re-election, stating, "I still have the fire in the belly."

This isn't the only thing he has in the belly. Last year, at the expense of the taxpayers, he managed to fill his belly with $3,500 worth of goodies from coffee shops, $450 worth of chocolates ,and $30 on vitamins. Quite an eclectic collection, I do say.

Mr. Coleman's irresponsibility when it comes to spending our money is just the tip of the iceberg.

Each and every one of our MLAs seem immune to fiscal restraint, and it's getting a little tiresome watching our politicians acting like little kids in a candy store, when it comes to their spending habits.

B.C. Auditor General John Doyle delivered a scathing report a few weeks ago that said that an all-party committee of B.C. MLAs (Liberal and NDP) responsible for overseeing spending at the legislature was not producing any useful financial statements or maintaining even the most basic accounting records.

This total lack of ethical behaviour is a direct reflection of the leadership qualities, or lack thereof, of both Christy Clark and Adrian Dix. If they can't control spending within their own parties, how can we trust them to run the province?

Sadly, it seems accountability and integrity, the two mainstays of good government, have been replaced by arrogance and irresponsibility.

These are trying times for the average British Columbian, pinching pennies and making sacrifices just to provide the bare necessities for our families.

When many of us consider a night out to a restaurant and movie a luxury, or face the sad reality that the holiday we dream of taking to Europe, Hawaii, or some Caribbean Island is for a "someday" that many of us know deep down inside may never come, we have to watch in utter disgust as politicians spend our money frivolously and extravagantly on non-essentials.

In a final note, it seems some of the $450,000 the premier's office ran up on its Visa bill included the downloading of iTunes.

Given the fact that every day another Liberal MLA seems to be jumping ship by not seeking re-election, I wonder if one of the songs they have downloaded is Another One Bites the Dust by Queen?

Neil Swanson, Coquitlam