Letter to the editor: Leaders must be held accountable for lies

If the average person lies on an employment application, he or she can get fired. If people lie under oath, about their taxes, to the police or on a mortgage application, it is a criminal offense; they can be fined and face jail time. Why do we hold our elected officials to a lesser standard?

President Lyndon Johnson lied, and over 58,000 American soldiers died in the Vietnam War. President Bush lied, and 4,000 to 5,000 American soldiers died in the Iraq War, with many more wounded or suffering from PTSD. In both Vietnam and Iraq, untold civilian lives were lost. President Trump lied about the seriousness of covid. It is estimated that 40% of the over 1 million U.S. deaths could have been prevented if Trump had been honest.

Unlike the average person, none of these presidents have been held accountable for their lies. These deceptions had enormous consequences, far greater than fudging a mortgage application. There should be consequences commensurate to the damage of their lies. If lies cause pain and suffering or death to others, there should be accountability.

Political dishonesty has become so pervasive; it has reached epic proportions and is tearing our country apart. People do not know what or who to believe. They have become angry and are lashing out at one another.

We must insist that our government and public servants act honestly and with integrity. They must be accountable for willful duplicity that causes harm. If it is a crime for us to lie to the government, then the same should be true when the government lies to us.

Michael Garing

North Huntingdon