politicians and lies

[Ray Zee]

with every stinkin politician being two tongued, maybe we need to have a requirement, starting with the president to have to take a lie dectector test once a month. even if the public doesnt get to see the results an oversight commitee should.

they let the companies require it for workers, so why not for them. they are our hired employees if anyone has forgotten.

[Zeno]

Lie detector tests are unreliable - I do not think that they are even allowed as evidence in a court of law (I hope not) but others may know for sure. We vote Politians into office and many other political offices are by appointment with confirmation by an elected body, the senate for example.

As unreliable as the tests are and the general questions that may be routinely asked what is to be gained? Just more controversy as someone must interpret all the results. And someone supposedly impartial. It would only add to the political shenanigans and chicanery.

The DOE (Dept. of Energy) wanted to start a program (after 9/11) to screen all scientists at some national labs using lie detector tests. There was some uproar, not for "screening", but because of the lie detector test issue with many scientist pointing out (rightly) that the test is totally unreliable, and subjective, and can be interpreted in various ways, especially when asking general questions.

A better approach is to assume that everything that comes out of a politician’s mouth is a lie. This is my approach. Then I analysis what I was told and figure out if it may be true or as some probability of being a fact. If I can’t find out myself then you may have to rely on opinions from experts or other qualified people. It is a dubious process at best.

I remember an old Siletz Indian told me years ago: “I never believe anything anyone says, hardly anything I read, and only half of what I see.” He later spent a few years in jail for netting for salmon. He figured he had inherited rights. He figured wrong. Go figure. End of moral story, such as it is.

So Ray, you have to figure out if everything I just said is a lie. It is. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

-Zeno

[HDPM]

"they let the companies require it for workers, so why not for them. they are
our hired employees if anyone has forgotten. "


Ah, that pesky Constitution again. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif Seriously, in the absence of a Constitutional amendment it can't be required I don't think. Right to hold office, vote for who you want yada yada. Ballot box is the way to purify the system. Always has been. It is the only way really, even though it seems far fetched and naive.

[brad]

could be done under the party system.

say u have the green party and it requires all candidates to take a polygraph in order to get the nomination of the party.

something like that could easily be done, of course now we dont even have real debates or anything /images/graemlins/smile.gif