Let’s talk about why our government agencies set citizens up to fail and ignore relevant issues.

I filed a formal complaint about what is clearly a conflict of interest and unethical conduct. A sitting state senator’s private law firm is openly marketing services to families harmed in his own district—while he has refused to take legislative action that could prevent the very abuse his firm profits from.

The response I got? “We’re just an advisory body, we don’t actually investigate or enforce anything.” They told me to try the Attorney General or State Police instead. I did, in fact, contact the Attorney General’s office after receiving this response—but let’s be honest, I fully expect to get more of the same bureaucratic runaround.

This whole process mirrors Governor Glenn Youngkin’s newly signed executive order on nursing home oversight—a textbook example of performative governance. It creates more taxpayer-funded bureaucratic positions with no real authority or accountability, while doing nothing to confront the root causes of abuse and neglect in long-term care. Families, residents, and frontline healthcare workers don’t need more empty offices in Richmond—they need real reform.

Think about that. Citizens are told to report conflicts of interest to the very body that exists for “ethics,” only to learn it has no power. Meanwhile, politicians can profit privately from the very harm they refuse to prevent in office.

This isn’t oversight. This isn’t reform. It’s a system designed to bury complaints, shield insiders, and drain tax dollars while leaving Virginians unprotected.

And yet, we keep pushing. Because accountability should mean something. Because families deserve representation in Richmond—not excuses, empty offices, or sales pitches after preventable harm occurs.