Simmons, a 67-year-old San Clemente retiree, has invested $200 to file a proposed ballot initiative that would make it a crime for politicians or the mass media to twist the truth to influence an election or affect public employment.
Simmon's initiative proposes a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine for members of the public trust who intentionally deceive in providing "material facts" to sway the public.
"If we could just get the people who serve in the public trust to tell us the truth, I think there's enough collective wisdom in the hearts and minds of Americans to do what's right," he said.
This is so absurd that if it did manage to get on the November 2010 ballot I just might vote for it, you know, for kicks. Sure, my standing policy is to vote No on Everything - but just imagine the giant clusterfuck that would ensue if this thing were to pass (which it wouldn't).
- California would have its very own Ministry of Truth.
- All cable news channels would be outlawed.
- The fines collected by the state would solve the budget crisis within three fiscal quarters.
- Political discourse would devolve into an endless argument over what is or is not true, leading to the ultimate realization that there is no such thing as objective truth.
You think your jails are crowded now?
Posted by: blogenfreude | October 23, 2009 at 09:44 AM
You've got to come up with your own wacky ballot initiative. We'll all chip in a few bucks.
Posted by: Randal Graves | October 23, 2009 at 10:34 AM
"leading to the ultimate realization that there is no such thing as objective truth." Didn't Bubba Clinton nail it already with the "Depends on what the meaning of 'Is' is?
Posted by: mandt | October 23, 2009 at 05:00 PM
So the point of the bill rests on the collective wisdom of people too dumb to ascertain they're being lied to? Good luck with that.
Posted by: LewScannon | October 23, 2009 at 05:27 PM