Thursday, September 17, 2009

Voting Anomalies

My blogging has slowed down for a number of reasons, none of them significant or health related. Though thanks to the none of you who've asked.

Sarcasm aside, Edward Lotterman has a article in today's St. Paul paper about how voters elect politicians who have platforms detrimental to those voting FOR them. You'd think we'd realize that no human (that we know of) can predict people's future needs. And thus taking a stance to "never lower taxes" or "never increase taxes" is utterly stupid. Yet my fellow Republicans often vote for someone pontificating no new taxes. And my rival Democrat friends, family, acquaintances get upset with the fiscal conservatives vow to take away entitlements.

It's unfortunate that there will never be a politician who gets elected on the basis of her saying "I'll raise taxes if they need to be raised and lower them if they need to be lowered." No, us voters are happy voting for someone who is willing to lie to us. We feel better when we're lied to than when we're told the truth. Why? Because often the truth sucks and we don't want to hear it, nonetheless vote for it.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are so right, grasshopper. It is unfortunate that we force politicians to lie to us. I think it was Mondale who said during a campaign that taxes would have to go up for some reason. End of his political career. People seem to be resolutely ignorant.

Kay

David said...

"We feel better when we're lied to than when we're told the truth. Why? Because often the truth sucks and we don't want to hear it"

I have been finding this more and more true. Humans live in denial.