Does the title of this piece surprise anyone? It shouldn't. We have long dealt with politicians who say one thing to get elected and then do the complete opposite when they get into office. This time though it seems to hit home a little harder as many of the politicians who are lying now were elected during an economic recession, many on pledges to be cost-cutters when they got to Washington. Even more surprising, many of the politicians now going back on their pledges, at least when it comes to their home state, are freshman politicans who were thought to be the answer to the entrenched, long seated ones who had stayed past their prime. Now that these freshman politicans are in office, they are pushing for money to be allocated to projects that will benefit only their home state. Yet, by asking for money to be allocated to their state, they are usurping it from a general use that might benefit all of us. I won't go into the list of politicians who are doing this, but you can see them for yourself by following this link and reading the article. What is it about public office, deception, and lying? It seems that most people can't get elected into office unless they learn how to lie through their teeth with a smile on their faces. The most ironic part about it is that most of the politicians now lying were supported by the Tea Party and their cost cutting initiatives. So how can these people justify their home state spending pushes during these tough economic times? It seems that they are oblivious to the fact that our country is facing a default on its debt and that many Americans are still struggling to find jobs and make ends meet. Well, hopefully they won't last too long in office to screw up our country more.
Politicians have long been known to be a lying breed. They may claim to have the best interest at hand when asking for money for their home state, yet they can't see the larger picture. One politician in particular was going to get to Washington and push to stop earmarking, the process of penciling in funds after the budget has already been set to divert money back home, yet instead started pushing for a new bridge to be built. When questioned about his back-peddling against his former statement, he said that it wasn't earmarking because he did not ask for a specific amount of money. What a load of crap. If I had to be anywhere near that guy, I would need hip waders to get through the sewage seeping from him. He may not have asked for money yet, but that request is no doubt coming, he just had to frame it a particular way to get the ball rolling. Maybe we should start treating these politicians like the little children they act like. We, the people, should set up standards for punishing them for lying. A few could probably use a good spanking (although we can't do that anymore because it is emotionally and physically damaging), and others could use a little walk to stand in a corner facing the wall for a few hours. Perhaps the best would be to have them write over and over again "I will not lie, I will not lie, I will not lie" on a blackboard in front of their constituents. None of this will happen obviously, but its nice to fantasize about politicians actually being held accountable for their pledges and promises during their campaigns.
Maybe in the next week our politicians will grow up and rid themselves of their toddler and teenage attitudes and bickering and actually work together to solve some our problems, like agreeing on how to move our country forward instead of sinking it further into the muck and mire we seem to be stuck in. Some have said that even if our country defaults on its debt, the sun will still rise the next day. As true as this may be, the country the sun rises on will be far different than the one it sets on. Many of the people saying a default will not be that bad have plenty of money to weather the bad times. What about the rest of us. Are they going to open up their personal coffers and help out the average American? No, they will sit tight and spend even less. The top 400 wealthiest individuals in this country have as much money as the poorest 150 million. How sick is that. They earned their money, yes, but how much of that is from bonuses and super high salaries and how much is from actual work? I personally don't know, but I would have to say that most of them at this point probably don't put in an honest day's work. A contractor friend of mine who works in Greenwich overheard the owner a brokerage firm complaining that he didn't want to go to work because he was only going to make 1.5 million that day. Really? Politicians are of the same breed; greedy, overzealous bigots who look out for their own interests and those of their state regardless of what the country as a whole is going through. I really do hope that Americans get some sense before the next election and these freshman politicians don't make it past their first term in office. But alas, enough complaining. It is the eve of the almighty weekend and time to get a little R&R. Turn off the TV, close the computer and forget about the world for a while. Enjoy today for what it is because you never know what tomorrow may bring.
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