Three Lies Politicians Are Telling You

Here are three lies politicians are telling you.

The Lie: I'm a successful businessman so I can be a successful politician.
The Truth: This is like saying, I"m a good dancer so I can play piano well. It's possible but the two are very different. You can't layoff bad citizens. You can't target market only certain taxpayers. And what's the equivalent of profit for a government? Surplus? It's a very different thing to make average people successful than it is to prove that you're special and yet - of course - campaigning is about just that: making the argument that you're special.

The Lie: The economy is like a household.
The Truth: This is like saying that the ocean is like a cup of salt water. This would just be a silly comparison if it weren't so dangerous and believed by so many. The economy is defined by dynamics that a household simply doesn't capture.

The Lie: I'll go to Washington and make a difference.
The Truth: Bill Clinton once said that being president is like running a graveyard: you've got a lot of people under you but no one is listening. And in this election, you're not voting for a president, easily the most powerful person in DC (and yet still not that powerful). You're voting for a senator or representative at the national level. Those people represent 1 out of 535, not even one percent of the people who influence legislation. The best bet is that the guy you vote for won't make a difference.