By David Hegg

Few things make me madder than dishonesty. Being able to take someone at their word lies at the very foundation of a healthy, productive and civil society. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Make promises you can keep and keep the promises you make. Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, understanding God hates a lying tongue.

As I view the landscape of American society, honesty is being replaced by pragmatism. We will say whatever is necessary to accomplish whatever we think needs to be done. We have turned the “bait and switch” into a national pastime.

It used to be that half-truths, or untruths, slipped out through carelessness, in times of great stress, anger, or frustration. They were called slip-ups or gaffes, and were most often quickly followed up with humble apologies and cries for forgiveness.

Now we lie on purpose, bold-faced, looking folks straight in the eyes, smiling. Other times, we obfuscate, generalize, dodge, hypothesize, or wink to give a positive impression while maintaining plausible deniability. It seems........

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