I’m Joshua Wilson, I’m a Marine Corps veteran. I’m a lawyer and I teach entrepreneurship. I hail from central Georgia. I represent today Veterans for (All Voters). I’m going to tell you a little bit about that and Final Five Voting. I also represent GROWW and Bridge the Divide. It’s been an honor to be welcomed into these communities and to work with each of you.

My home in Georgia, where I’m originally from, is Putnam County. It’s known as the dairy capital of Georgia. I was talking about it a little bit today. It’s a small town. And if you aren’t part of the ten or so families that have either a farm or political connection or an established business, then you are not advocated for.

You are not represented. You are an afterthought. Why? 

Because incentives. Because established power protects itself. That’s why I am where I am right now in front of you. And that’s where we all are as communities, not just in my hometown in Georgia, but in rural communities all over America. Small towns in this country are ignored and politically polarized. Our country is gridlocked by a Congress that is half loyal to either one party or another. 

We believe that this is a false dichotomy. This fight between those colors is distracting from politicians that should be showing up and working for us instead of worrying what the other party’s doing. They should be worried about what we as people think. Our political and civic leaders, just like the larger national government, are very antiquated, single minded, and there’s virtually no representation for young professionals, aspiring business owners, for people seeking true, rewarding opportunities for work, for parents and homeowners, and people navigating the post-COVID world.

As veterans, part of my core group, we know that leadership comes through incentives, and so we support Final Five Voting as a mission, because having us rank these politicians means that they compete not just with the other party, but with each other.