to the editor: re <u+201c> why hillary clinton needs to be two-faced <u+201d> (sunday review, oct. 23): jonathan rauch leaves out a crucial point: as taxpayers and voters it<u+2019>s our business to know the truth. it<u+2019>s not for elected officials to decide that we can<u+2019>t handle the truth. would mr. rauch be happier in an authoritarian country where the government feeds comforting lies to its populace? in his admiration for the japanese custom of maintaining a facade at the expense of truth, mr. rauch might want to consider that it<u+2019>s exactly that attitude that led to the ignoring of multiple studies before 2011 that showed that the fukushima nuclear plant wouldn<u+2019>t be able to withstand a major earthquake and tsunami. i<u+2019>m disappointed that hillary clinton cites the familiar <u+201c>politics is like sausage being made<u+201d> to justify having separate public and private positions. as educated consumers we should know what goes into our sausage, and as responsible citizens we should know what actions are being taken in our name. there<u+2019>s a reason we teach our children not to lie. dishonesty isn<u+2019>t shrewd; it<u+2019>s cowardly. james david jacobs brooklyn to the editor: is it really civic blasphemy to accept less than full disclosure in a nation that holds honest abe as a presidential icon and <u+201c>i cannot tell a lie<u+201d> as a historic sound bite? yet many in our faith communities and among the public make allowance to save a life, protect relationships or safeguard a measure of personal privacy. honesty is the best policy, but our leaders don<u+2019>t need to <u+201c>tell all<u+201d> just because a reporter or opponent asks; it depends on the situation. when it comes to the personal lives of our candidates, i don<u+2019>t judge hillary clinton for leaving the sept. 11 memorial without sharing that she had pneumonia. but i assume that donald trump is hiding something significant by withholding his tax returns. as for setting and carrying out public policy, such as successful antiterrorism work or international peace negotiations, for instance, i don<u+2019>t expect full transparency every step of the way. we would do well to have an honest conversation and realistic understanding about what the public has a right <u+2014> and need <u+2014> to know. (rabbi) dennis s. ross new york the writer is the author of <u+201c>when a lie is not a sin: the hebrew bible<u+2019>s framework for deciding<u+201d> and <u+201c>all politics is religious: speaking faith to the media, policy makers and community.<u+201d> to the editor: might not the main reason that politicians lie to the public be to carry out policies <u+2014> whether for ideological reasons or to benefit wealthy donors <u+2014> that would be unpopular if presented and debated honestly? thus, a war to overthrow a local despot deemed insufficiently compliant to american interests was packaged as defense against weapons of mass destruction. tax cuts designed to overwhelmingly benefit the rich were sold as assistance for the hard-pressed middle class. and, in 2016, the democratic candidate defends her opposition to reinstating the glass-steagall bank regulation by claiming (correctly!) that it doesn<u+2019>t go far enough. no wonder that hillary clinton has endeavored to keep secret the transcripts of her speeches at goldman sachs, and donald trump his tax returns. alan sokal london a version of this letter appears in print on october 28, 2016, on page a26 of the new york edition with the headline: must politicians always be truthful?. today's paper | subscribe
must politicians always be truthful?
noauthor