LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE

North Korea announced they have exploded a hydrogen bomb. Our government says they didn’t. Who is lying? The smart money would say that because of their propensity to lie, we should automatically think North Korea is the liar. It is tempting to believe that our government is not the liar, but…..

Let’s talk about the propensity to lie. Lying when it is politically expedient to do so. Lying when it serves a particular agenda. Lying when it hides facts that would otherwise be politically damaging. Lying because the truth would be embarrassing. Let’s face it, lying has become almost normal in these times.

If one lies in a court of law, they can be charged with perjury. If one lies when advertising a product, they can be sued for false advertising. If an employee lies on the job, they can and probably would be fired. Lying is wrong on every level.

So how is it possible for political candidates running for office to lie about their accomplishments or their opponents’ lack of accomplishment? How is it possible for our government, through the President or the Secretary of State, to lie about treaties with rogue governments, ransom paid for hostage release, attacks that were because of planned enemy actions instead of videos, or lying to get legislation through the Congress to forever alter our healthcare system?

If you were an employer and potential employees lied on their employment applications, you would never hire them. If, as that same employer, employees lied to you about their job performance to make themselves look good, you would fire them. If you were a judge in a court of law and you encountered a liar, you would have him arrested for perjury. Why, then, do we allow our employees, our government employees, to lie and get away with it?

We are the employer. The President, the Secretary of State, the Congress, and all government workers, are our employees. Candidates for office are trying to convince you of their ability to be your employee. You as a voter must pick and choose who you will employ. Why would you put up with a pathological liar? Remember the childhood adage, “Liar liar pants on fire?” When did this all change?

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to believe what we are being told on a daily basis? The credibility of government officials has been corroded. It didn’t start with this administration either. Lying to get your programs approved has been the order of business for quite some time. Lying to get elected has been going on forever.

Here’s a proposal. Starting with this election let’s require all candidates to submit to a polygraph examination and then face questions from everyday people. Liars would be summarily disqualified. The problem is there would not be anyone left to run for office. That’s a sad state of affairs, isn’t it?

The reality is that we get the kind of government we choose. If we choose liars and untrustworthy people to serve in positions of power, we deserve no better. As I look at the field of candidates for President this election, I am appalled. The Democrats are running a proven self-serving liar who would say anything anytime to get elected. She may well be under indictment before the election anyway. She has little or no opposition in her own party.

The Republicans are not without their problems. As we have heard from this huge herd of candidates, all we get is complaint about each other and very little about how the problems of this country are going to be solved. They are not giving us much to go on.

We need to root out the liars. We need to send them packing. As a country we deserve better. It is going to be up to us.

Ron Scarbro