Politician Speak Decoded... Navigating The Lies
Note: This article is written by an American and reflects upon the governance that we have in the USA (A Constitutional Republic with Enumerated Rights versus a Democracy.). Perhaps you still will be able to draw some analogies between our governance and yours but if not, then my aforementioned statement is in effect.
It is 2024 and another President Election is upon us. In addition, there are races for all 435 House Reps and one third of the Senate. While this i s part of our election process, it seems to be more degradant now than it was before. While one candidate is under control of the Colombian Drug Cartels (We wiped them out a long time ago), the accuser of such claims to work for the people (If you have been in Congress for over forty years, you are only working for yourself.). You would probably be right in that this scenario has occurred while any politician is running for office. Things have degenerated, though; civility has been replaced by vicious partisanship and it is the electorate that pays the price. The following are things your politician will say to gain the upper hand in an election.
"I will make sure that the rich pay their fair share of taxes!"
Really now? This makes for one hell of a convincing sound bite but in reality, this is Class Warfare straight out of the Communist Manifesto. This isn't even a recent thing; this was how Amendment XVI was passed into law in 1913. The top one percent of the population pays about 40 percent of the income tax. This amounts to more taxes paid than the lower ninety five percent of the population. The rich already pay their fair share of taxes! Why then do politicians put forth this lie? The rich also have the means to get members of Congress to listen to them and it is Congress that writes the Tax Code. Any loopholes that are closed will be offset by new ones that are opened. The rich then avoid any new taxes... and it is the Middle Class that winds up paying those taxes!
When it came time for the states to ratify Amendment XVI, this same ploy was used. "Pass Amendment XVI into law and only the rich will be paying this Income Tax!" So they said. It took only about ten years until even low wage earners had to fill out Income Taxes every year. The IRS has become costly and pervasive in the 111 years since Amendment XVI became law. It is shameful that the Congress is part of a Constitutional Republic yet still stoops to Marxist practices.
"This bill might endanger the Social Security Lockbox!"
Reality check! There is no such thing as the above! FICA (Federal Insurance Contribution Act - also known as Social Security) was collected as a tax upon worker wages and once you reached the age of 65, you collected Social Security from the government.
In 1968, Lyndon Johnson reclassified SSI payins as general revenue. This meant that Congress could spend the money as fast as it arrived. It was also the Democrats that decided that Social Security comprised taxable income. This is how things still stand over fifty years later. You work and FICA is deducted from your paycheck. That money is spent as fast as it is received. Once you hit retirement age, you draw a Social Security payout. You still have to file income taxes because your Social Security is considered taxable income...
Do you smell a rat here? I sure as hell do! FICA taxes were deducted as a TAX meant to cover Social Security payouts in the future. It is in NO way an income stream! Congress has NO right in spending that money and calling Social Security payouts taxable income is taxing a tax you were already charged. If SSI payins were taken away from Congress, maybe then this statement would be true... but that hasn't happened yet! Social Security income should also be tax exempt since it already was deducted as a tax.
"This matter can only be settled if we reach across the aisle..."
On the one hand, this seems like Congress doing their utmost to get things done... but on the other hand, when you hear them say this, it smells like sour milk. Why is that the case? Because it is in many ways!
Some years ago, John McCain and Ted Kennedy 'reached across the aisle' and created a proposed Immigration Law. (The McCain - Kennedy Immigration Act) Under the proposed legislation, an illegal alien would have to admit they were such and pay a $2000 dollar fine. upon payment, they would gain a Green Card...
What could possibly go wrong here? There is no way that the drug cartels would give people from Mexico that kind of money so they could cross the border and get a Green Card... yeah, right! This would not only create a massive incentive to head north, but it would give the federal government an endless income stream in the process. This isn't even mentioning the burden upon the states. When politicians reach across the aisle, chicanery is the only result that you will gain.
Election Year Effluent
It follows that whenever it is an election year, the political ads increase in number and (at times) new lows in that environment. The purpose of such effluent is to get the electorate to react with a gut instinct instead of taking time to gather up the full truth behind the ads. The following are some examples of this and the real truth of the matter:
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He is controlled by the Colombian Drug Cartels! (They were wiped out years ago).
They are killing millions of babies! (A blastocyst or a zygote isn't a human being.)
They will outlaw abortions! (Not hardly... but the states need to enact reasonable legislation.)
I work for the people! (If you have been in Congress for over 40 years, you work only for yourself.)
Their reckless budget cuts will endanger the Social Security Lockbox. (I already covered that one.)
They will pollute the waterways! (Partial truth up until 1969. That is when the Cuyahoga River caught fire and the EPA was created. Polluting waterways can cost profit and give a company a bad name.
Their religion is corporate greed! (Corporations are formed to make a profit and they also create jobs. When it comes to not acting in the best interests of the electorate, you will find both Democrats and Republicans lined up at the table. :/)
The best way to combat this is to not listen to their sound bites. Instead, find the basis of the sound bite in the first place and review it once again but with valid information in hand.
Conclusion
There is almost nothing out of bounds if a politician needs your vote. A recent 2024 political ad was so degradant that the TV station aired a disclaimer before and after it. A fringe POTUS candidate aired a video collage of dead aborted fetuses (Late Term Abortions and early term). The purpose once again was to get the electorate to react instead of think. This was probably the lowest a politician could go. This ad aired only once shortly before the 1964 elections.:
Needless to say, this probably gained Lyndon Johnson some votes.
Never trust any politician. They will twist the truth, broadcast half-truths and lie outright if they wind up being elected.
Comments are welcome.
Timothy G. Linnomme November 3, 2024