Myths, Lies, And Politics
Ever since the first days of our government, politicians have used whoppers to get elected and stay in office. Our history is rife with examples of how politicians have used myths, lies and appealed to the worst elements of the country to get elected. In fact, the men who wrote the Constitution believed that the mass of voters were not intelligent enough to vote directly for an office as important as President of the United States. That is why they created the Electoral College in which the voters voted for “electors” who would vote for president.
But politics became bitter almost as soon as George Washington stepped down as our first president. One of the nastiest political campaigns took place in the 1828 presidential election between incumbent President John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. The Adams supporters accused Jackson of being a bigamist since he married his wife before her divorce was finalized while the Jackson supporters accused Adams of “stealing” the election of 1824 through a “corrupt bargain” with Henry Clay. Jackson’s wife, Rachel, died before the election and Jackson blamed his political opponents for causing her death.
Fast forward almost 200 years and the United States hasn’t progressed much since the days of a presidential candidate being accused of bigamy and an incumbent president being accused of stealing an election. But the United States is a radically different nation than we were in the early 19th century. We are much more educated and there is a system of mass communication that those people 200 years ago couldn’t dream of. But politics is still rife with myths and lies. Here are a few of the biggest ones.
President Obama is a Muslim. I cannot believe that more than a third of Republican primary voters still believe this myth. One has to suspend all rational thought to believe this one. Would any Muslim attend a United Church of Christ church for more than 25 years, get married in that church, and raise his children in that church? Even President Obama’s opponents for president debunked this myth. Yet some people still cling to this one.
President Obama was born in Kenya and is not eligible to be president. I believe that President Obama is the first president to show his birth certificate in a political campaign. That clearly showed that he was born in Hawaii and was verified by the governor of Hawaii. Yet, a major Republican candidate for president still believes that Obama was born in Kenya.
Climate change is a “liberal hoax.” Despite overwhelming scientific evidence around the planet that mankind’s activities are accelerating a normal warming after the last ice age, the entire Republican party is in denial of global warming. Sea levels are rising and the arctic ice caps are melting at a rapid pace. Yet, because the eastern United States was experiencing a severe winter this year, many cite that as proof that global warming is a hoax. Those same people ignored the fact that the western United States was experiencing record warmth while the eastern United States was shivering in the cold.
Taken to the extreme, the Republican governor of Florida has even issued an order banning public employees and agencies from even using the terms “global warming” or “climate change.” Duh! Just by ordering state agencies from mentioning something doesn’t make it go away. Maybe when the Everglades are underwater a future governor might reverse that order.
Cutting taxes for the wealthy increases revenue and brings prosperity. Back during the period between the end of the Second World War and the 1980s, the top marginal income tax rate was as high as 90% and was never below 70% for the wealthiest. During that period, the United States built the world’s most prosperous economy with a strong, vibrant middle class. Yet, since the early 1980s, the top marginal income tax rate has dropped as low as 32%. At the same time, federal deficits have skyrocketed and the middle class has shrunk.
But many people still cling to myths, lies, and half-truths. Nazi propaganda minister Josef Goebbels said that if you tell a lie often enough and loud enough, people will eventually regard it as truth. Politicians in the United States have taken a lesson from Goebbels and the evidence is all around us during this political campaign.
Lee Kamps
Lee has been working with Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurance since he began working at the Erie County Welfare Department in January 1973 where a major part of his job was determining eligibility for Medicaid. He went into the private insurance business in 1977 with Prudential Insurance Company and within a short time had become one of the company’s top sales agents. In 1982, he was promoted into management where he managed two field offices and as many as thirteen sales agents. After leaving Prudential in 1986, Lee decided to become more focused on health insurance and employee benefits. He has advised many local employers on how to have a more cost effective employee benefit program as well as conducted employee benefit meetings and enrollments for many area employers. The companies Lee has worked with ranged from small “mom and pop” businesses to local operations of large national companies. Lee received his B.S. degree from Kent State University where he has been active in the local alumni association. He has completed seven of the ten courses toward the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist designation. He has taught courses in employee benefits and insurance at Cleveland State University and local community colleges. In addition, Lee is an experienced and accomplished public speaker. He has been a member of Toastmasters International where he achieved the designation of “Able Toastmaster – Silver” in 1994. He has also served as a club president, Area Governor and District Public Relations Officer in Toastmasters as well as winning local speech contests. Lee has also been a member of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association’s Speaker’s Bureau where he was designated as one of the “official spokespeople for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” prior to the hall’s opening in 1995. He has given talks and presentations before many audiences including civic organizations, AARP chapters and many other community groups. With the implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act (Medicare drug bill) in 2006, Lee has shifted his focus to Medicare and helping Medicare beneficiaries navigate the often confusing array of choices and plans available. As an independent representative, Lee is not bound to any one specific company or plan, but he can offer a plan that suits an individual person’s needs and budget. In addition, Lee is well versed in the requirements and availability of various programs for assistance with Medicare part D as well as Medicaid. While he cannot make one eligible, he can assist in the process and steer one to where they may be able to receive assistance.