The “aha moment” came while watching the television ad.  It occurred to me how it is that politicians get by with the things they do.  The animated pitchman was yelling at the camera about the latest and greatest kitchen gadget.  He alluded to the fact that ownership of this particular mechanism would be a life changing experience.  

This can’t-do-without-thing would eliminate the tears that come with dicing an onion.  Garlic, a major component of every American’s diet, is peeled with only a few slaps of the hand. Chopping up cheese with this thing creates a craving for pizza.  Children will give up visits to the ice cream shop as fruits and nuts falling victim to the thing would cause the child to want to make his own ice cream toppings.

Another advantage was the ease of cleaning.  This model could be opened up so that those nasty leavings could easily be washed away.  But the real hook was the price which is usually $79.95 but by ordering today the thing could be had for $19.95.  This price was only good for ten minutes because as he said, “We can’t do this all day”.  He didn’t get the word but his ad runs on several different channels and has been around for months.  This ad is one of those that for the price of shipping and handling they will throw in a hundred bucks worth of kitchen knives for free or some such silliness.

Now let’s see, an eighty dollar wonder machine, a hundred dollars worth of knives all for twenty bucks plus “shipping and processing”.  Unless the shipping and processing fees are extremely high, somebody is lying: the numbers don’t add up.  No business can sell anything worth that much for that little.  Politicians are not business men but they sell themselves and their programs in much the same way. 

There is little difference between a pitchman and politician.  Both proudly proclaim the value of whatever they are selling.  They present their wares in such a way as to make people believe that there really is something for free.  While you and I know that everything has a price, too many among us do not.  Some people desperately want to believe that in the ups and downs of life, they should have all the ups without any of the downs.  It ain’t gonna happen.

The TV adman makes a profit with his cheap price.  He knows he is lying about the actual price.  The politician knows the price of what he is pitching too. Voters “buy” the lies of the politician while ignoring the reality that in the end their taxes will skyrocket to pay for the difference between the politicians selling price and the actual cost.  The politician makes up the difference between selling price and real cost with borrowed money, the national debt, an ambiguous term that seems harmless enough. 

It is true that all Americans are not directly affected by government debt because all among us do not pay federal taxes.  For too many of us April 15 is just another day.  We are all made slaves by government debt.  Our slavery pays for blueberry research and studies on why hogs stink.  Politicians buy votes, taxes increase, the price of everything rises.  Personal freedom is diminished.

There are enough people buying what the adman is selling to keep him in business.  Voters continue to buy the lies of the politician that keep him in office.  It is amusing that a TV adman lies to his audience.  With him, we have a choice.  Caveat emptor!  There is nothing amusing about Congressmen and Senators lying about their product.  We don’t have a choice.  Those among them who can do something about the lies don’t.  Those who are not stopping the lies are busy figuring out new ones.  They all do it.  We all pay.