Arthur C. Donart, Ph. D. wrote this essay.
A recent election in a New York Congressional district has raised some serious questions concerning our democratic form of Government. By a narrow margin, 37-year old George Santos, the Republican candidate, was declared the winner. He campaigned on his background as being Jewish. He claimed to remember his Jewish grandparents, who had survived the holocaust by escaping from Ukraine, before the Nazis could capture them. He touted the fact that he almost graduated from the prestigious prep school, Horace Mann, except that he had to drop out,. [That is,] because his parents fell upon hard times and didn’t have the tuition money for him to finish his last semester.
That failure didn’t stop him from claiming that he had degrees from Baruch College and New York University. From there, he had a wildly-successful career working on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs and, latter, Citi Group. Then he founded his own company which made him very wealthy; so wealthy, in fact, that he loaned his campaign $700,000 dollars. Santos also claimed that he had helped develop Carbon Capture technology.
So, what’s not to like about a candidate with such impressive credentials? So people vote for him, because they are impressed by his background, his educational achievements, and his success on Wall Street and in his own business adventure. They think, “This is the kind of person I want to represent me in Congress.” Unfortunately, what they voted for was an illusion, a fraud, a lie.
All of it–his heritage, education, and work history–was pure fabrication. George Santos is none of the things they voted for. He is a fake.
Lies are inimical [injurious] to a Democracy. Enemies of democracy, such as the Russian Government, have used Twitter, Facebook, etc. to spread lies. Unfortunately, our own elected politicians tell lies and spread lies. For example, Senator Charles Grassley accused President Barack Obama of supporting a healthcare plan with “death panels.” Well, we now know there was never such a thing. Such fraudulent charges obscure genuine debate, which is essential to a democratic society.
Today, we are faced with many threats to our democratic society, both from within and without. This is not new. In 1938, philosopher Yves R. Simon left Sorbonne University in Paris, France, to accept an invitation to lecture at Notre Dame University. This was a fortunate move that saved him from the Nazis. Later he accepted a Professorship at the University of Chicago in 1951, where he wrote “Philosophy of Democratic Government.” He writes about how essential reality/truth is for preserving a democratic society.
What are we to do in order to keep criminals and liars out of our Government and preserve our Democracy?
Should George Santos be sworn in as a member of Congress, in spite of the fact that he is not the person who people really voted for?
Who could believe he is telling the truth when he swears to uphold and defend the U. S. Constitution and laws?
Should the tech giants, Facebook, Twitter, etc. be allowed to publish lies without facing any consequences?
I think not! Damn it, Grassley, where are those “death panels” when we need them?