A way to drain the swamp: enact and use the law of public perjury

To the editor: The ‘Swamp’ has become a frequently used misnomer for our nation’s capital. Ethically challenged elected officials, party hacks and fake news sources use the term to demean the American government. This practice is almost assuredly a result of the toxic partisanship that stains our political discourse.  

We should not deceive ourselves.  The current level of political partisanship isn’t just a heated disagreement.  It’s far more dangerous than that.  It is partisan based tribal war, and as is the case with all wars, truth was its first casualty.  

Partisan based propaganda has fueled the fires that leave many Americans less certain about the fundamental values for which we stand. The idea of elected officials using deliberate lies to deceive voters by discrediting the government is inappropriate beyond measure.

Additionally, using a word with a negative connotation, such as ‘swamp’ inappropriately provides credibility to baseless criticisms of governmental institutions such as the FBI and the Department of Justice. So, what is it that we can do to rid ourselves of this problem?

A good first step would be to remove elected officials from office for lying to their constituents. Unfortunately, there is an obstacle which prevents that from happening.  The obstacle is that criminal sanctions have not yet been established making it a punishable offense for elected officials to publicly lie regarding national issues.

Elected officials (including their staff and appointees) knowingly and intentionally lying to the public in support of partisan positions is a betrayal of public trust.  

Defining and enacting Public Perjury as a criminal act will enable the prosecution of elected officials charged with uttering or publishing disinformation. 

Ask your congressman and senators why they allow this dysfunctionality to go unchallenged.  

Ask candidates running for state and federal offices in November how they feel about the issue.

 

David C. Frederick

Grayling