What I Know about Lies

Actually I know a lot more about lying than I do about economics except in the current situation where lying may have been a key element of the economic collapse.

In Cider House Rules, John Irving advances the theory that orphans lie because it is the only control they have over their lives. As an Air Force brat I found that children of military people also lied and so when I read this it hit home. Lying was a means of reshaping reality in families where you were moved sometimes three or four times in a school year.

However, there are some major problems about lying. One is that you never want it generally known that you are lying. Lying depends on being believed. This is particularly true for financial organizations and politicians. Once it is known that you have been lying about your assets or your liabilities or both you are not a good investment risk. Get caught lying about your mistresses and you are not electable. Lying is not good for home mortgages and loans. Lie about your net worth and you risk qualifying for a loan you really cannot afford.

Two it has been my experience that lies work best when you are the only one telling them. When everyone is lying you get on very shaky ground very fast. It is my opinion all investment banks were built on a tissue of lies they tell to each other.

Three is that lying is very stressful. You have to remember your lies and who you told them too. You can only keep this up for a limited amount of time. When my father got out of the military I suddenly realized two years had gone by and we had not moved, I went to my parents and asked when we were moving and they said we weren't. "But we have to move," I pleaded to no avail. "I cannot remember who I told what to." The worst part of this was that only a percentage of my friends were military because I was no longer in base schools and these civilians would not understand. My military brat kids understood. (Did you know that McCain was a military brat raised by a military brat? So he comes from a long line of liars.)

Four is that it is difficult to lie with your entire body. We have tells. Like in the interview where John McCain is asked if Palin is ready to be president and he says definitely yes with his mouth while shaking his head no. You have to believe your lies with every fiber of your being.

Five is that lies seldom work about things that are truly important. Oh, it is easy to lie about how beautiful that new shocking pink hair color looks on your aging aunt because she wants to believe that lie. And who is hurt by it.

Six you cannot lie for long when all evidence is to the contrary. They have to be believable lies. Bush tried to tell us the economy was essentially sound and we knew that was not true. We were broke. We in the middle class, used to lying about how well off we were to impress our neighbors, had begun to not believe our lies, so we definitely did not believe Bush. And knowing that he was lying so very obviously made us nervous. (See previous blog on economics and nervousness.)

Seven is probably the worst. It eventually becomes easier to lie than tell the truth. You lie when the truth would be so simple. You start forgetting which is the lie and which is the truth. Nixon never told the truth in my estimation. And I have doubts about GW Bush. I definitely do not believe the investment banks or the oil companies.

Same old nightmare

My internet service provider was down this morning and I had to revert to watching my morning news on television. It is probably a hang over from the days when I lived where I could pick up a morning paper but I like Internet site hoping for my morning news. The televised talking heads just seem to rude before my first cup of coffee.

And this morning they really were a nightmare. Or at least what the were proposing was a nightmare. I skipped last night's Republican debate because I just could not stand anymore name calling and back biting and I figured there would be more than enough of that in the Hilary/Obama debate tonight. So I definitely did not want to hear that it looks like it will be McCain vs Hilary in the 2008 race for the White House. The two worst dirty politicians running against each other !!!!???

I immediately began to consider my battle plan for the election year: cancel my land line telephone so nobody can call and poll me as to my choice, cancel my satellite television so I do not have to listen to the avalanche of negative political ads, change my part affiliation to Independent or Green party, put my house up for sale and look at out-migrating to New Zealand or Australia or Canada, or begin campaigning for legalization of preemptive assassination.

If the reign of G.W. Bush has left me with any lasting legacy it is a total fear of politics as usual and old school politicians. Make that total terror of politics as usual. And we seem to take entirely too long to impeach them when they have devastated our economy, ruined our world reputation, violated all parts of the constitution, and mired us in an illegal invasion of a country. Please deliver me from the evil of politicians.

Even a Broken Clock is Right Twice a Day

New Mexico, my state of residence in the United States, is a closed primary state. During the primary I can only vote for candidates in the party in which I am registered.

I have usually registered Democrat because this makes the primary process on a state level far more valuable: I actually get a choice. The Republicans and the Green party, also active in this area, only manage to put one candidate on the ballot if that. On the national level I often want to vote in the Republican primary. This year I am not sure I want to vote in either. The wide open race seems to have shut down really fast.

But that aside I do get the opportunity to vote on Super Tuesday for my choices among those running for state and national office among the Democratic party. Then I will go and change my party affiliation to Independent.

I thought about changing to Independent earlier in this broken political process but it essentially disenfranchises me because New Mexico is a closed primary state. I would definitely like to change that to one which allows me to declare the party for which I want to participate as I prepare to vote: An Open Primary System. Until that happens I think I will just keep careful note of all the deadlines for changing my voter registration and go back and forth. Keeping up with a number of people doing this would definitely tax the state offices.

Lou Dobbs of CNN talks frequently about sending a message by changing to Independent. And there definitely does seem to be a growing number of people doing this. The political pundits even gave discussion time to how the Independents in Iowa and New Hampshire changed the nature of the caucus and primary there. But here we sit with only a small fraction of the primaries held and their delegates awarded and the news media are already declaring the winners.

Let me mention that if the vote in the general election in November 2008 comes down to a choice between McCain and Clinton I am leaning toward sending a real message by not voting for President. Since there is no None of the Above choice. I am so tired of voting for the least offensive of the candidates! I can only hope that somehow, someway, the country gets another choice. Or that the message out there is so strong that someone will actually run for office as an Independent. At this point I frankly don't care who. I just might vote for them solely to send a message.

I do hope our country has gotten the message that this time it better be an honest election. No computerized tinkering with the outcome. No hanging chads. If once again there is no paper trail or the electoral college vote runs counter to the popular vote than whether we are registered Democrats, Republicans, or Independents may well be a mute point.

Feeling Less Than Free

My word for today on another blog site was Force. I picked it to define because quite frankly I am feeling a bit forced these days.

First there is the force that the approaching winter is applying. After enduring six feet of snow in three days last year the mere thought of snow seems to bring on post traumatic stress syndrome. I had been lulled into a sense of safety by two or three very mild winters and then to be hit by the 100 year storm . . . well, I was woefully unprepared except for the larder full of canned goods in case of bird flu.

Second, I am feeling forced by a need to finish the studio project begun this summer. I have at last found a carpenter to apply the outside siding. Let me note that while I am very grateful to be getting this done it has all cost more than anticipated or budgeted and way more than the national norms. According to one home improvement site I should be able to get my entire house sided for about $6,900 US but I had one estimate for $25,000. Doing just the new addition for $3,000.

So, the third force would have to be money. Obviously something a lot of people are feeling because the rich that buy my art seem reluctant to let go of a dime these days. Which puts us artists back to poverty level. Mind you we are always skirting close to that edge at the best of times.

Fourth, we seem to have started the political campaigning entirely too early. Is it possible that we could elect our next president in 2008 just to allow him or her a platform from which to run for re-election for four years?

I like the increased debates. I thought it would make me feel as if I had more control over my choice but no. The talking heads want to tell me what I should have thought as the candidates answered the questions, and the pollsters seem to have already elected who it is that is going to run. So I am divided as to whether we should just let the polls elect the president and thereby skip all those soon to come nasty television spots, or launch a write in campaign for some really dark horse (like an honest person not tied to big money), or quietly move offshore like all the jobs, factories, and money.

And Fifth is of course the war in Iran. He wants one. He probably will get one. Hell, even Hilary voted to call them terrorists. What choice did we have about Iraq. You assume we will have a choice about Iran? Which in order to man three wars there will have to be a draft and once again we are being forced to participate in something we cannot (and should not morally) condone.

I wonder if the French middle class felt like this just before the revolution?

I'm Serious even if he isn't

Stephen Colbert announced he is running as favorite son candidate for President from South Carolina. The major news programs were denouncing it as making fun of the presidential election process. I really doubt anyone needs to make fun of it. Politics has become a joke. Used car salesmen now rate higher on honesty.

And he will not be the first comedian to make a bid for the office. Yes, there have been a lot of clowns like the one there now. But Pat Paulson of Laugh-in ran once. So did Snoopy - you know the dog in the Peanuts comic strip. I think I actually voted for him. In all my life I have only voted for the winning candidate for president once. So I guess my seriously considering voting for Stephen Colbert dooms him.

I get tired of voting for the least bad of two. I really think we need a "none of the above" or "just say no" option. If a candidate cannot get a large enough percentage of the voting public (never mind the electoral college) he has to run again. And I think we need an amendment to the constitution that allows for a no confidence vote. So when you get a situation like we have now - where everyone agrees he is the worst president we have ever had - he can be removed easily from office.

And it ought to be done with only debates. No prime time television commercials. We have to start making it cheaper to get in office. I recently wrote my congressional delegation about the proposed North American Union. And got back only double talk - you know like calling torture enhanced interrogation. They don't care about how I feel on issues. They only care about the major power brokers that support their campaign. So the only way to get our democracy back is to make it cheap to become a public servant.

Meanwhile I am serious about Colbert. He is essentially my way of saying "none of the above." And I am changing my registration to independent. Another way of saying no.