Psychologists have studied the phenomenon a lot and the evidence is compelling:  tell a lie repeatedly and folks start to believe it.  Smart conmen and a lot of politicians (on both sides of the isle) rely on this phenomenon to get away with the things they push:  just keep on lying; everything will work out!

As historian Heather Cox Richardson says “Republican claims [echoed over forty years] that the economic growth unleashed by the [One Big, Beautiful Bill the House of Representatives just passed that still relies on trickle-down economics] would lead to higher tax revenues, a claim that hasn’t been true since Ronald Reagan made it in the 1980’s”.  But, Republicans keep telling that lie about trickle-down economics, and therefore, a lot of people believe it.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the tax cuts (to the richest Americans) and additional spending [in this bill] means “an increase in the federal deficit of $3.8 trillion”.  So, in order to convince Americans that the CBO is wrong, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told the lie that the [CBO is] “historically totally unreliable.  It’s run by Democrats”.  You can be assured that lie will be repeated many times in the coming weeks as the Senate tries to pass its version of the bill.  But, unfortunately for the American people, most of us will never hear that the CBO is run by economist Philip Swagel, who worked, as Heather Cox Richardson reports “as chief of staff and senior economist at the Council of Economic Advisors during the George W. Bush administration. He was appointed in 2019 with the support of Senate Budget Committee chair Michael Enzi (R-WY) and House Budget Committee chair John Yarmuth (D-KY). He was reappointed in 2023 with bipartisan support”.  Just keep on lying!

I know most Americans want change.  I do, too.  But, the way the Draco II administration, aided by Project 2025 and all the nefarious entities associated with that drastic, mean spirited, and some might even say “evil” plan, is being carried out is ruining American democracy and strengthening those who would want our collapse.  Yes, things cannot stay the same that they were (much less are now!), but we all have to look into our hearts and refuse to support things that don’t help and support all people, that look at some people as more worthy than others, that emphasize either class, race, or culture differences instead of unity, that pushes dictatorship over democracy, etc.  The famous line in the movie “A Few Good Men” when Colonel Jessup shouts out loud in the courtroom “You can’t handle the truth!” tries to state another lie, that people are either too dumb or stupid about how things work and therefore want to hide from the responsibility of knowing the truth.  Don’t let politicians insinuate that you are too dumb or stupid:  demand politicians stop the lying; our existence as a species depends on it.

Bob Bates

Tullahoma