If the Democrats say something is white it probably is black. If the Democrats say something is sweet it probably is sour. If the Democrats say, “This bill is the mainstay of our war on poverty,” it will probably increase, not decrease, poverty and dependence on government “charity.” If the Democrats say, “This bill will decrease pollution in our lakes and rivers,” it most likely won’t decrease pollution significantly, but it will force polluters to give big bucks to incumbent politicians’ re-election funds in order to obtain waivers and permits to keep on polluting.
We have just witnessed an election that was won big by the most outrageous fraud and deception the world has ever seen. That, all by itself, is very disturbing to me. But I am even more alarmed by what I hear coming from a few Republicans. They don’t put it in these words, but what they are really saying is, “People would rather be lied to than to hear the truth. If we are to keep our party from becoming extinct we must learn to lie and deceive even better than the Democrats. We must beat them at their own game.”
Please! Our political process is degenerate enough already. Please don’t turn it into a lying contest.
What we MUST do is put Biblical ethics instruction back into our schools. Teach our children and youth that lying is wrong. Teach them that all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone (Rev 21:8). Teach them that it is not just those who Tell a lie, but also whosoever loves and makes a lie (Rev 22:15). Teach them that four of the seven things God hates are a lying tongue, a heart that devises wicked imaginations, a false witness, and he that sows discord among brethren (Prov. 6:16-19). Teach them to never believe a person, and never ever vote for a person, if their speech doesn’t line up with their deeds. And if they don’t have enough deeds to enable this truth test, tell them to come back later when they have done something significant. Teach them that trust is an essential element of all successful human relationships, and deceit destroys trust.
I think it was in French historian Alexis de Tocqueville’s 1835 tome De la Democrattie en Amerique that he said, “America is great because America is good. If America ever ceases to be good it will cease to be great.” I am not foolish enough to suppose that honesty is the only virtue that we need to be inculcating into our common culture, but it is certainly central and essential.. Without a generous supply of universal integrity it may be only a matter of a few years before we become a weak, disorganized, impotent third world country. There may be no greater enemies of our country that those who promote dishonesty.