2277 Sitting on Deceit

When was it we got to the point where it was okay to be outright deceptive? Seems like I read something about a court deciding recently that someone in a campaign ad was not legally required to tell the truth, but I think it was before that. The court opinion, by the way, used the justification that folks hearing the ad had no unreal expectations that politicians were honest.

So I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised recently when I came home and a yellow notice with black printing was taped to my garage door. I reacted angrily. "What!? I've paid all my utility bills!" Because that's exactly what the notice looked like, a shut-off notice for lack of payment. Or something more alarming, like a gas leak.

Turned out it was neither. It was an advertising circular telling me a gutter and driveway cleaning outfit was going to be in the area tomorrow and for me to check off the services I wanted. Funny, there was no box to check for "Don't tape misleading notices to my garage!"

Stuffing my mailboxes with junkmail isn't enough? Now they're actually coming up and taping stuff to my house?

The other deceitful thing that got me recently was a vitamin package. It had printed in huge letters that the vitamin in question "Supports Strong Bones and Teeth." And "Supports Neuromuscular and Immune Health." Each of those phrases had an asterisk. In tiny letters on the back of the package, the asterisk was explained thusly: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration." 

So basically, they're just saying it. Who knows what the truth is? 

Though I've heard the truth is a hard pill to swallow. Falsehood apparently goes down easy.

America, ya gotta love it.