The Lying Double Standard | Richard W. Rahn | Cato Institute: Commentary

The Lying Double Standard | Richard W. Rahn | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Former Democratic Party Chairman Tim Kaine said last week that lying is 'unacceptable' and that Mr. Weiner should resign. If lying about sex is unacceptable, shouldn't it also be unacceptable to lie about government financial statements, what is actually permitted by the Constitution and what one is really doing in government? Congress should let it be known that it will not fund agencies whose senior officials lie about important matters until they are removed from office.

People can have real differences of opinion about the effects of any proposed policy without lying. I expect that the administration really believed its rosy unemployment forecast stemming from the stimulus bill — that was not a lie, but a mistake in judgment. But some things clearly are lies — misrepresenting facts on financial statements, attempting to redefine words to avoid complying with the Constitution and commonly understood ethical standards, and making false claims about what one is doing. The rules that the Securities and Exchange Commission imposes on business executives should be imposed equally on officials in government, where the stakes are much higher.

A few high-profile removals for lying about important issues would send a message to all the others that such behavior is unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated."