I sent this letter today to the Washington Post:
Each campaign season I
catalog the countless instances of politicians being held to ethical
standards comparable to those to which people hold their household pets.
Case in point: the usually wise Sebastian Mallaby – exposing Sen.
Clinton’s and Sen. Obama’s deceits about NAFTA – sighs that "Quite a
lot of trade populism can be forgiven, even if it is intellectually
dishonest. Like it or not, trade liberalization has stalled, so mild
populism makes no practical difference" ("Democrats, Off Course On
Trade," March 2).
In other words, aspirants to what is typically
called the highest office in the land are forgiven when they
intentionally deceive voters as long as these deceptions make "no
practical difference." I don’t much care if my dog deceives me under
such circumstances, but I surely teach my son that such dishonesty and
lack of integrity is intolerable in himself and in other human beings.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
(My apologies to dogs, cats, hamsters, and goldfish everywhere.)
