OPINION:
The contentious rhetoric and widening ideological divide have raised the stakes in the upcoming election. The myths, fables and distortions heaped upon us by the media only serve to confuse and not enlighten. Now more than ever it is imperative that we stay informed, check facts and search for the truth.
Falsehoods and half truths have become so pervasive we no longer question the premise on which they are based. When someone claims that all students have a right to a free education and a free lunch, the reality is that public schools are not free but are funded by tax dollars which must be extracted from taxpayers. We should all have learned by now that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
We are constantly told that Social Security is secure and that it is a form of savings and an investment for the future. The fact is that it is neither a savings account nor an investment but a Ponzi scheme, a crime for which Bernie Madoff went to jail.
The media’s “blame game” consists of comparing the so-called Bush deficits with Clinton surpluses. Most people are not aware that presidents cannot create either a deficit or a surplus. All spending bills originate in the House of Representatives and are voted into law by Congress. Democrats controlled both houses of Congress before Barack Obama became president. The deficit President Obama inherited was created by a Democratic Congress of which he was a member. The truth is that President Clinton’s budget surplus, the first surplus in more than 25 years, was the result of a Republican House of Representatives.
In our search for the truth and competent honest representatives, let’s question with boldness, listen carefully, apply reason, check the facts and examine the premise. We must re-establish the supremacy of the Constitution - it is not “we, the Congress” but “we, the people” who are in charge.
ED KONECNIK
Flushing, N.Y.
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