Letter to the Editor

An Open Letter to the American People

Where has the honesty gone?

It is a given that politicians are dishonest, to some degree. I wonder sometimes when that dishonesty crosses the line and when the American people will stop consenting to it.

I think it is dangerous to separate out misleading statements from lies. For instance, imagine you are caught speeding on the highway. The police officer comes to your window and says “Good afternoon. Do you know how fast you were driving?” You stop for a moment and think to yourself, “Do I really KNOW how fast I was going? The speedometer said I was going about 82 miles per hour, but I don’t know for sure that was really how fast I was going.” You ponder the situation for a moment and decide to tell the officer, “ No, officer. I do not actually know how fast I was going.” Did you lie? You knew the speedometer said you were going 82, but it was not necessarily accurate. Technically, you told the truth, for what do we really know? Is that the appropriate way to have reasoned through the situation? I think not.

I do not know about you, but I, for one,