Letter to the Editor: A Team of Liars

“Do not bare false witness” – to paraphrase Exodus 20:16. My parents taught me (yours probably did too) not to lie. One gets caught in lies, but not in the truth. Remember Aesop’s Fables and “The Boy Who Called Wolf?” That story basically tells us that we get caught in lies and the entire community can be destroyed by willful lying. In my opinion, we are getting dangerously close to that situation in our country right now. The repetitive lying of the President, his administration, and the party controlling both houses of Congress makes it extremely hard for me to believe a word they are saying.

I am actually inclined to believe the word of the Russian Ambassador over that of the U.S. Attorney General. How many times can Jared Kushner revise his financial disclosure form? Over 75 assets were “inadvertently” left off previous lists? And this morning, as I write this letter, Mr. Kushner is saying “I did not collude…” Why in the world should we believe him? Meanwhile, Attorney General Sessions says, “I can’t remember.” If lying isn’t enough, let’s try hypocrisy. The administration announces “Buy American” week wearing ties made in China, shoes made who knows where and then hires 70 foreign workers at the “Winter White House/Private Golf Club” – aka Mar-a-Lago.

Then there is the Speaker of the House. Wisconsin’s own Paul Ryan. A man who won’t even hold town hall meetings in his District. A man who while extolling the virtues of freedom and democracy, crafts a health care bill in secret, without debate or input from others. Mitch McConnell is no better. These guys keep telling us that Trumpcare is good for the country. They also tell us that trickle down economics (tax breaks for the wealthy) are good for us despite decades of growing income inequality. Do they expect us to believe those lies too?

Our country is being led by a Team of Liars. The corporate takeover of our U.S. government cannot be accomplished with integrity and honesty, so it is being pursued through deceit and dishonesty. We need to take a stand for honesty, integrity and the simple thing called truth. Call Rep. Mike Gallagher and Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson. Tell them that the emerging new normalcy of governing by lies and hypocrisy has to stop. It is not acceptable. It is not what our moms taught us. We can disagree on policies but we should all be able to endorse honesty.

Mike Brodd

Sister Bay, Wis.