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Are anger politics and lying the new national pastime?

I grew up thinking of baseball as our national pastime. Later the American pass time venue included other sports. However, no one ever expected highly paid professional athletes to not stand in respect for our nation, our national anthem, and flag. All symbols of freedom and of those who fought and died to keep us free. 

Every day someone is revealed for lying -- in politics, in news reporting, on a resume, a golf score, drinking age, job history, etc. It has become all to commonplace. What happened?

The discourse of honest debate and consense building in Washington D.C. has indeed become demonizing rhetoric which now seems to be creeping into everyday life outside of the bubble in which it was created around Washington D.C. Being caught lying is no longer shunned or condemned when one argues for a point of view or opinion. How many times have we read or heard accusations of lying in public debate? If you're not seeing it then you are not looking or listening to the issues that shape our lives, our work, and our freedoms. 

It's "in your face" every day. FACTS seem to be twisted to support the views of those who lie or those who use their status to promote a cause. It is particularly apparent in those who demonize our institutions and our President. They are so angry and espouse hateful views with no recourse or civil debate of opposing or different views. They act as if the issue for which you disagree is already settled and you lost? They purposely want to shout you down and shut you up. Why? What is it that has them so stirred up? 

We are buried in information overload to conduct work in a global environment which is in constant motion and change. Growing a business is no longer a simple matter of hard work and determination. No matter where you are or where you turn we are inundated with the media, social media, advertising and news outlets ranting views of how our society should be governed and who should be the governing party. These issues and policies affect every business and its path to prosperity. 

Yet surveys continue to show a vast majority of Americas are uninformed or misinformed about our history as a nation and our role as the leader of the free world and democracy. These distortions and misinformation began decades ago when the teaching community began to slowly reinvent history to make it appear America's development is based on the wrongdoings of evil white men. How absurd! We trusted our teachers to teach the correct and real history. We paid for and supported our children to attend a college to obtain an education that would help make them responsible and accountable citizens. We were deceived by many academians who created their own mindset of values and perception of history which was passed on to our children. Why?  

When I ask millennials about the history of the Marshall Plan, how Japan was rebuilt after WWII, what party was responsible for abolishing slavery in the U.S., and why has our economy stagnated for much of the past 50 years; I get a lot of blank stares and vague responses. I know others who have had the same experiences and you can read it all over social networks. 

Generally, opinions about current events, politics, and governess are framed by misinformation of bias in reporting factual news of the day. These distortions are repeated over and over by other media as truth. Once accepted by those in the belief of the distortions it becomes erroneous and misconstrued as fact. Unraveling these distortions takes full-time effort and in doing so one is apt to fall under criticism for not accepting what these sources claim to be settled issues, truth, or policy. It's no longer possible to be independent or neutral in these debates. Either side won't let you.

When I became of voting age, the first President I voted for was John F. Kennedy. I was a registered Democrat. The Kennedy assassination in 1963 raised a lot of unanswered for me. I became convinced this was a coup de taught led by Lyndon Johnson and covered up. I really questioned my Democratic allegiance. 

The Nixon violation of trust with the Watergate break-in was no better. Who was really in charge in Washington to represent the voters who elected them? Was it a shadow government? The influential elite?  More lies, scandals, and cover-ups.

Jimmie Carter was a fluke. Ronald Reagan, a Democrat turned Republican, would lead us to some prosperity and close the Cold War with USSR. George H W Bush would raise taxes when he publically promised voters he would not. Remember "Read My Lips?" His son, George W. Bush, would make a case for WMD in the hands of Sadaam Hussian in order to invade Iraq. It was a big fat lie.   

Clinton talked a good game but he would also lie to get in the White House and to stay there. The Democrats were already drifting to the far left away from centrist ideals. Obama was the biggest liar of all and dragged the country to the far left expecting Hillary Clinton to be elected and continue toward making America a socialist country. As we all know that did not happen. Voters woke up. Democrats have yet to accept that Doland J Trump won the presidency in 2016 and continue with more lies to take him and his "deplorables" down. 

Now we inundated with political battles on issues that have NO meaning to the prosperity and individual freedom while lifting all boats. A lie is no longer an outright lie and those who use it to put down opponents are rarely held accountable. It has become the national pastime. God help us!!!