Candidates Worship Lying
Guest Column: The lying and the damage done - Medicine Hat News Written by Medicine Hat News Opinon Saturday, 13 October 2012 00:01 - Elections revive interest in a letter from Quintus Cicero to his brother, Marcus, sent more than
2,000 years ago, telling him how to win an election. Essentially, Quintus said, lie until you're elected, then plead altered circumstances for why you won't keep your promises.Ê ÊLying is the treasure tool of politics Ñ the Big Cheat that today's candidates cherish.ÊThey worship it.ÊThey sacrifice all principles to it.ÊIt's porn for politicians Ñ and they're so shameless, they use it in public. ÊWe pretend we're outraged, but it's not true.ÊVoters love liars.ÊWe vote for them, no matter how transparent and cynical the lie.Ê But there's a cost. ÊSince we're not really fooled, more and more of us don't vote at all because, although the names on the ballots change, the lies don't.ÊThe lies that got Mr. Harper elected were pretty much the same kind of lies that got Mr. ChrŽtien elected, and they're about the same lies being tried in the U.S. election today Ñ although there are more of them Ñ and the miscreants are prouder about lying than they ever have been before (your marathon took how long, Mr. Ryan?!).Ê ÊDisenchanted, we get disengaged from our own democracy, leaving special interests Ñ like oil companies and environmentalists, for example Ñ to fight it out in competing ad campaigns ... none of which we believe.ÊIf one batch of liars seems to be essentially the same as the next, it's hard to convince anyone to pick between them or even to care which bunch of crooks sits in the chair. Obviously, the consequences of these lies go far beyond the election. When public trust is undermined to this extent, public co-operation is corroded.ÊSo, people cheat on their taxes, steal from their employers, steal their employees' pensions, hide their money off-shore, ignore regulations and rip off their friends. ÊAlberta's PCs said they'd clean up government but award contracts to firms run by friends Ñ the premier's ex and his law firm being a case in point.ÊThe B.C. government was going to preserve the environment but broke the agricultural land trust so that their developer buddies can pave it for profit.Ê ÊWe get Vic Toews, who says cheating is bad Ñ but makes an exception when he does it on his wife.ÊWe get 'senator-in-waiting' Doug Black, whose first-class plane tickets and five-star hotels were paid for by students of a university that raises its tuition almost yearly.ÊMr. Black, who resigned only when he got caught, believes he'll make a fabulous senator. The president of the U of C is apparently so used to this sort of thing, she doesn't even censure it. ÊBusiness isn't any better.ÊEnbridge lies about following regulations and we get their disastrous pipelines.ÊXL Foods lies about following safety protocols and we get infested beef.ÊEarl Jones and Bernie Madoff lied about everything they did, even to their friends, and people lost their life savings.Ê ÊBy comparison, the little lies seem inconsequential. People say they're volunteers but happily gobble up honoraria paid for by donations to charities. They cheat the speed limit because other people's safety matters less than their own personal gratification. The company truck goes on the family vacation and the hidden economy flourishes, undermining a tax system that's supposed to pay for our social programs. ÊIt's not true that "everyone does it"; it is true that no one should. And we sneer at the ideal to the peril of us all.Ê ÊBurger, anyone? Krista Munroe, a long-time Hat resident, welcomes your comments. Email her at krihmun@yahoo.ca
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2,000 years ago, telling him how to win an election. Essentially, Quintus said, lie until you're elected, then plead altered circumstances for why you won't keep your promises.Ê ÊLying is the treasure tool of politics Ñ the Big Cheat that today's candidates cherish.ÊThey worship it.ÊThey sacrifice all principles to it.ÊIt's porn for politicians Ñ and they're so shameless, they use it in public. ÊWe pretend we're outraged, but it's not true.ÊVoters love liars.ÊWe vote for them, no matter how transparent and cynical the lie.Ê But there's a cost. ÊSince we're not really fooled, more and more of us don't vote at all because, although the names on the ballots change, the lies don't.ÊThe lies that got Mr. Harper elected were pretty much the same kind of lies that got Mr. ChrŽtien elected, and they're about the same lies being tried in the U.S. election today Ñ although there are more of them Ñ and the miscreants are prouder about lying than they ever have been before (your marathon took how long, Mr. Ryan?!).Ê ÊDisenchanted, we get disengaged from our own democracy, leaving special interests Ñ like oil companies and environmentalists, for example Ñ to fight it out in competing ad campaigns ... none of which we believe.ÊIf one batch of liars seems to be essentially the same as the next, it's hard to convince anyone to pick between them or even to care which bunch of crooks sits in the chair. Obviously, the consequences of these lies go far beyond the election. When public trust is undermined to this extent, public co-operation is corroded.ÊSo, people cheat on their taxes, steal from their employers, steal their employees' pensions, hide their money off-shore, ignore regulations and rip off their friends. ÊAlberta's PCs said they'd clean up government but award contracts to firms run by friends Ñ the premier's ex and his law firm being a case in point.ÊThe B.C. government was going to preserve the environment but broke the agricultural land trust so that their developer buddies can pave it for profit.Ê ÊWe get Vic Toews, who says cheating is bad Ñ but makes an exception when he does it on his wife.ÊWe get 'senator-in-waiting' Doug Black, whose first-class plane tickets and five-star hotels were paid for by students of a university that raises its tuition almost yearly.ÊMr. Black, who resigned only when he got caught, believes he'll make a fabulous senator. The president of the U of C is apparently so used to this sort of thing, she doesn't even censure it. ÊBusiness isn't any better.ÊEnbridge lies about following regulations and we get their disastrous pipelines.ÊXL Foods lies about following safety protocols and we get infested beef.ÊEarl Jones and Bernie Madoff lied about everything they did, even to their friends, and people lost their life savings.Ê ÊBy comparison, the little lies seem inconsequential. People say they're volunteers but happily gobble up honoraria paid for by donations to charities. They cheat the speed limit because other people's safety matters less than their own personal gratification. The company truck goes on the family vacation and the hidden economy flourishes, undermining a tax system that's supposed to pay for our social programs. ÊIt's not true that "everyone does it"; it is true that no one should. And we sneer at the ideal to the peril of us all.Ê ÊBurger, anyone? Krista Munroe, a long-time Hat resident, welcomes your comments. Email her at krihmun@yahoo.ca
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