Okay, we've had quite the run lately of postings on this blog concerning the government and it's headlong dash towards destruction. Let's get more specific and work together on something, shall we? 

Little_girl_government_lies_a
My idea was inspired by a recent comment from reader Owen Derry (Thanks Owen). One of the reasons the American public has allowed its government to creep into every area of its life and well outside what Ronald Reagan so appropriately called "it's rightful parameters" is that most people are not educated on what's really happening. In addition to that, the government, of course, comes up with words and phrases to misdirect people's understanding. As long as the appropriate term can be given to something, a disguise can be placed on what's actually taking place. Below are just a few starting examples I thought of to get us started. I thought it would be interesting for each of you three readers out there to collaborate and provide some of the lies told by the government.

1. Inflation is about higher and higher prices (wrong: its about an increase in the money supply).

2. People should have a CHOICE (wrong: they say a woman should have the choice to abort her baby, but not the choice of which school her child can attend).

3. Tax loopholes and deductions are for "the rich" (wrong: over eighty percent of tax deductions and loopholes are taken by the middle and lower class).

4. Government spending helps spur on the economy (wrong: deficit spending only weakens the economy further, just like it does in our personal economies)

Which ones can you think of?
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19 responses to “Lie-Listing Collaboration”

  1. Becky Avatar
    Becky

    This isn’t another lie per-say, but is related to the lie of #2. Have you heard about the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) they are trying to put through Congress???? Here are some links in case you have not:
    http://www.fightfoca.com/
    http://www.nrlc.org/FOCA/LawmakersProposeFOCA.html
    http://www.aul.org/foca

    Like

  2. Frank Burgett Avatar
    Frank Burgett

    Our School system prepares our “Children for life”
    Wrong: Our school system prepares our “Children for work”
    The curriculum of our schools
    is to teach our children the basic abilities to face life’s
    challenges.
    Wrong: The curriculum of our schools, or at least should be to develope a system that expands in our children an unquenchable desire to learn!

    Like

  3. Phyllis Hoff Avatar
    Phyllis Hoff

    Chris:
    I read this today, and thought, right on.
    Planning is what is already done in a free economy by millions of private individuals. Every economic decision they make is a plan about how to allocate the only money and effort they have a right to dispose of: their own. And these plans are made with full access to the only kind of information that is really relevant: the context of their own lives and values.
    Government planning, by contrast, consists of smashing all of these private plans and replacing them with inferior plans made by inferior men.
    Phyllis

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  4. dean clouse Avatar
    dean clouse

    When income taxes first became legal, they said it would be a small percent for the top income earners.
    I’m scared that they may consider that to be true, because I think they believe 25% of 25K is a small percent of the top!

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  5. Cathy Avatar
    Cathy

    Here are some of mine, off the top of my head:
    1. Government regulations help a market economy (wrong: the more that’s regulated, the less that can be produced, sold and bought, and thus the weaken the economy).
    2. Tariffs protect us from those evil rich countries that want to take all our money and sell us all their products (wrong: they insulate us from a world market and don’t allow our goods and services to flow out so their money can flow back to us).
    3. Governmental control of healthcare will provide better healthcare at a higher standard for everyone (wrong: just ask any Canadian or European about how government healthcare trashed their system and ruined their economies . . .).
    4. Those who run the government are smarter and better educated than most of the rest of us, and are thus able to make wise decisions for us (wrong: most of the government at all levels is run by buerocrats).
    5. Once a new administration takes over, changes in the government and economy will take place almost overnight, just like they promise (wrong: it generally takes a minimum of two [2] years for the rest of the governmental monster to follow where the head is leading, and even longer for the economy to notice).
    5. a. (Note: This is a follow-up to the last one.) The economy was great under a large extent of President Clinton’s terms because of his wise leadership in that realm (wrong: it was because of the hands-off policies of Presidents Reagan and Bush, Sr).

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  6. Bert Fall Avatar
    Bert Fall

    Lie: “We have to abandon some free market principles to save the free market system.”
    Truth: Without the principles there is no system.
    Lie: These companies are too big to fail and Congress must act quickly to save them.
    Truth: Congress acting “quickly” usually doesn’t amount to anything good.
    Lie: “The Constitution is just a #@&* peice of paper.”
    Truth: The Constitution defines the powers held by the federal government. Without it there would be no United States. Though it is written on paper.
    Lie: Social “Security”
    Truth: ‘Nuff said

    Like

  7. russ and monica rodriguez Avatar

    As former US Congressman Bob McEwen said, “the people who are in charge are the ones that show up.” When we show our shock and awe at President-elect Barack Obama’s support for the Freedom of Choice Act, just remember this: he showed up as a candidate and we GAVE HIM THE JOB. The Catholics are fighting back with an anti-FOCA campaign. Our FOCA’n campaign consists of handing 3 postcards to every Catholic who attends every mass the weekend before January 26th. Two will be addressed to their US Senators, and the third for their Congressional representative. When all of these millions of cards are all mailed on Monday, January 26th, they’ll literally overwhelm the mail service in Washington DC, sending a very loud message that Catholic voters are NOT in favor of FOCA. So what is the lie we’re exposing here? We do NOT condone a government that makes it easy to kill innocent babies by passing a law to pave the way. Hopefully enough of the readers will agree and fight against FOCA.

    Like

  8. Owen Derry Avatar
    Owen Derry

    Trade barriers (quotas, tariffs, content laws) will protect our jobs. (Wrong: Maybe in the short run they will save jobs in an industry or two. They allow inefficiency to remain in the economy and prevent market forces from working properly, make products we buy more expensive, and usually lead to trade wars. Short-term v. long-term thinking.)
    We’ll tax the rich. They have money. That will be fair. (Wrong, or at the very least, ambiguous, on many levels. How do you define rich? Many people in the world earn less than $1,000 per year. So if you make more than that in the US, open up your checkbook ‘cuz Uncle Sam is hungry! Taxing anyone automatically reduces choices. Bob McEwen does a great job explaining this. Taxes also are a forced shift in spending, not a vehicle that creates wealth. Are the rich the ones that earn a lot every but may spend all of it and have no wealth? If you read The Millionaire Next Door, the truly wealthy have more money accumulated and pay less taxes as a percentage of their annual earned income and as a percentage of their accumulated wealth. They can live off their assets if need be, not their earned income. The ones who earn a lot may not be able to pay.)
    We need to support the poor and needy. Only the government can do that. (Wrong. I believe the logic here is very subtle. It says that we, the citizens and taxpayers, are too selfish to support charities. Therefore, we need to elect people to carry out charitable duties. But if we are that selfish, how is it possible that we: 1. recognize it; 2. know that we should change; 3. refuse to change, but; 4. elect very giving and charitable people who will donate our money along with charging us an administrative fee to pay the bureaucracy to monitor the various programs? And to what groups is the money given? Can you list 3 specific groups to which your tax dollars go AND the parameters that our politicians used in awarding the money AND the monitoring requirements to which these groups must adhere? I can’t.)
    Market forces are cruel. The government is kind. (Ooooooh, this one deserves an answer about 20 books long. But I gotta ask: If this is true, why are we forced to pay taxes under the penalty of having our income and/or assets forcibly taken and/or being put in jail? If the government is that kind, why don’t most people voluntarily given their taxes, plus a bit more, to the government?)

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  9. Cathy Avatar
    Cathy

    On the FOCA issue, there are currently 20 “riders” coming before the new Congress. These riders would strengthen the hold on taxpayer-funded abortions. I don’t know about any of you, but that’s not where I want MY tax money going! Here’s the link to that petition:
    https://www.frc.org/get.cfm?c=CHECKOUT&dmy=CFBE882C-9573-8F19-F5A0349DE9943E96&CFID=9716110&CFTOKEN=236d044829f2959e-63A13E4E-EA96-9A41-40D8430EEFB22714

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  10. Stuart Colvin Avatar
    Stuart Colvin

    Chris: Interesting release of the annual report on the status of Economic Freedom.
    For over a decade, The Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation, Washington’s preeminent think tank, have tracked the march of economic freedom around the world with the influential Index of Economic Freedom.
    The report lists the USA at number 6, with Hong Kong 1, Singapore 2 and Australia 3. Te erosion of Economic Freedom is highlighted in the report.
    See the full listing at:
    http://www.heritage.org/Index/
    Stuart.

    Like

  11. Tom Avatar
    Tom

    Middle East Peace Process
    Proportional Response – if we would have done that in WW2 we would have just bombed one Japanese harbor.

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  12. Ryan Avatar
    Ryan

    Hear’s the biggest joke I have heard from our Canadian government as of recent and it scares me to death. Finance minister Jim Flarety said the government does not plan on cutting spending and say’s a substantial deficit is necessary. (lie we need less government interference with the free market and less government spending)
    here’s another lie hear in Canada
    “free health care”
    no such thing last time I checked that money came from all us citizens through taxation
    P.S. end the Fed

    Like

  13. Lydia Seibert Avatar
    Lydia Seibert

    I don’t claim to be very articulate in the areas of which you speak, but I am so grateful to have the opportunity to learn on this blog and on Orrin’s blog.
    I learned two things from Bob McEwen: 1.)Whether the government taxes you or a thief comes and takes your money, the result is the same; 2.)government should only do for the people the things which they cannot do for themselves. I can spend my money better than anyone! I can also choose who to bless or who to give it away to in charity!!
    Why do we accept legalized abortion in this country? Look where evolutionary/godless thinking has gotten other nations–Hitler in Nazi Germany and China with their “population control.”
    The media keeps talking about “opening up credit.” I will declare and question from the rooftops: “Didn’t credit get us in this mess to begin with?” As individual citizens we need to say no to the slave owners at the credit card companies. The Bible says, “The borrower is the slave to the lender!”
    Well, I thought I had nothing to say, but I hope you caught a little passion there. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! FOR EDUCATING US IN TRUTH!

    Like

  14. Brent Campau Avatar
    Brent Campau

    Owen, you stole my answers:) I will expand on your number 2 in my number 1.
    1. Govt programs are “compassionate.” (wrong: handouts don’t help. These govt officials are either ignorant, power hungry or both. No consequences for bad choices doesn’t teach anyone anything. I will choose to whom my money should be given. Not to mention the fact that these programs foster segregation by choosing groups to steal from and groups to give to. The rights belong to the individual, not a group.
    2. Science is finding more and more proof that evolution is true (WRONG: actually the opposite is true, but the media doesn’t allow this information to get out. Real Christians know the real answer.)
    3. Guns kill people, therefore we need more gun laws – the environment is the cause of evil argument. (wrong: individuals are responsible for pulling the trigger. What we need is to teach proper education and responsibility about guns. People in Texas can openly carry loaded guns in public. There has been a lower crime rate because of the fact.)
    4. Obama will bring CHANGE. (RIGHT!!!! He will bring change. The WRONG kind.)

    Like

  15. Miriam Teresi Avatar
    Miriam Teresi

    How about a “bailout is a good thing – it will save jobs”
    Truth as I see it – the bailout will actually cause a long term increase in taxes and a greater number of people elsewhere in the country will loose jobs as small or marginally surviving employers fold-up under those taxes.
    My Dream is no longer to have unlimited income since that would mean unlimited taxes under a socialist government. I now am dreaming of the ability to be left alone by my government

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  16. Joshua Hendrickson Avatar
    Joshua Hendrickson

    Hi Chris, here’s the link to a petition in the “citizen’s briefing book” at change.gov – the office of the president-elect. I thought you might like to know about it. I think it’s going until January 20th.
    God Bless,
    Joshua Hendrickson

    Like

  17. Joshua Hendrickson Avatar
    Joshua Hendrickson

    I’m sorry, Chris, did I forget to include the link in that message? lol
    I can’t find it again (been looking for about 10 minutes), but this page is about basically the same exact thing, it’s just not a poll.
    http://www.change.org/ideas/view/health_freedom
    God Bless,
    Joshua Hendrickson

    Like

  18. nick Avatar
    nick

    False:
    a rising tide raises all ships.
    Truth:
    A rising tide will only help if workers wages increase accordingly. Otherwise, workers will not be able to afford as many goods, and the economy will be hurt.
    False:
    Big government is bad
    Truth:
    the merit of a government is not judged on whether or not it is big or small, but if it works to help the people and strengthen the country.

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  19. Dave Nelson Avatar
    Dave Nelson

    Dave Nelson says……
    False …..
    Everything on here is true.
    True……
    Some people need to read more before they write more

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