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Opinion
Many
times voters given only about half of story
August
23, 2004
Political
campaigns seem to never end in South Carolina. Before one
election is finished, it always seems another campaign is just
getting started. There are an awful lot of elections, whether
local, state or national. And those are just the regular
elections. Throw in all the runoffs, special elections,
referendums and more, and it almost becomes more than voters
can take. Maybe that’s why so many of them don’t bother to
vote. Maybe they’re simply tired of all the rigmarole that
goes with politicking ….. constant politicking.
Still, in a
democracy with a republican form of government, despite how we
might sometimes feel, voting is a privilege and it should be
treated as such.
THERE IS ANOTHER FACTOR
that applies, too. If you don’t keep up with who’s
saying what, it’s not unusual for some politicians to make
statements that are so far out in left field they take on a
life and a believability of their own. There’s a good example
in progress now.
Rep. Jim DeMint, running for the U. S.
Senate seat being vacated by Ernest Hollings, says he favors a
national sales tax. He says, though, that he’s being
misrepresented by his critics. He may have a point.
Critics
appear to be doing exactly what DeMint says they are doing.
They’re focusing on the proposed sales tax idea but don’t
mention that it is coupled with elimination of the income tax.
That gives a whole new meaning to the proposal, with the
emphasis on whole.
THAT’S THE WAY THE
political cookie crumbles, though ….. especially this year. If
voters get a complete story on the issues, they can make an
informed choice. Trouble is, they don’t always get the “rest
of the story.” Maybe some of the candidates don’t want voters
to be informed, however.
But, then, there’s nothing new
about that. It’s like the classic political trick used to get
candidates to paint themselves into the proverbial corner.
It’s the old “Have you quit beating your wife?” question.
Answer no and the candidate’s trapped. Answer yes and it comes
out as an admission that while he has quit beating his wife,
he was doing it until then.
Half-truths also are effective
tools for politicking. In the DeMint case, a big deal is made
about him favoring a national sales tax. He does, but that’s
only half of it. The other half is that he’d do away with the
income tax. Two halves make a whole ….. but voters don’t
always see them put together.
Editorial expression in this feature represents
our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.
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