Enough is enough.

 As one of the twentieth century's most revered and admired writers once said, "In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act." George Orwell had a gift of prescience that few human beings have ever had or ever will possess. Eric Arthur Blair, who wrote under the pen name George Orwell was a classic idealist who wrote in support of democratic socialism. He was an articulate critic of totalitarianism and a staunch supporter of democratic socialism. If he were alive today, would he be able to see through the deception of those who claim to advocate for the latter while leaning toward the former? 

I believe Orwell was a pragmatist. Much the same as the founding fathers of America. In the core of their soul, all of their senses; emotion, intelligence, patriotism, loyalty guided them to construct the constitution of the United States. A framework of law and order that has endured almost two and a half centuries and remains the most viable model of democracy in the history of the world. Their guiding light in the dark storm of anarchy was the desire to develop a system of governance that would be of the people, by the people and for the people. Through two hundred and forty-nine years since not all of our leaders have been so focused and altruistic. Had it not been for the forefathers' brilliance in putting together such a masterpiece we might be in serious trouble today. Orwell, I believe shared their idealism. He was vigorously opposed to all forms of totalitarianism. His 'ideal' society was one where everyone had an equal voice and shared equally in the collective efforts. Not exactly aligned with the doctrines of laissez-faire, but noble and well-meaning nonetheless. 

Back to Orwell's quote, "In a time of deceit..." Are we currently in a time of deceit? Yes, it's not something that only came about in the 21st century, but yes, we are. Veracity has always been a problem with the human race. With some more than others. Politics is a very complex province. Having a tenuous relationship with the truth is not uncommon with a lot of politicians. In fact, lying is so prevalent that it is difficult for the constituents to know when they're not being lied to. Many of them simply don't understand that lying by omission is still lying. But through the blur, the obfuscation, the pandering, the bald-faced lying the truth is there. Often hard to find, difficult to decipher, it's always there. We must also bear in mind that simply putting the truth forward and presenting it isn't always enough. It has to be accepted. If the party-to-be-convinced doesn't accept the truth and choose to remain ignorant, well, not much that can be done about that. In any given group there will always be those who choose to 'believe what they want to believe', the truth be damned. So be it. But the majority of any group will listen to reason. The truth can be very convincing. Especially when it's in one's favor and to one's benefit. And it often is.

Relating this to American politics, it can be argued that the outcome of the recent elections in the US prove the above axiom, that the truth can be very convincing. One side kept insisting that the economy was strong, inflation was in check, immigration was no longer a problem, America was strong and respected by its' adversaries. The other side was telling us "They're not being truthful with you." The response from the American voter was profound and hermetic. Side 'B" we don't believe you, Side 'A' we're going to give you a chance to fix the mess Side 'B' made. It would behoove you to deliver. We're tired of the lying, enough is enough...