The parasites that feed off the American political system are having way too much fun. They’re playing some kind of deadly game in which they one-up each other at the expense of the truth – and the country’s future.

Look at those oh-so-clever ads on TV, and ask yourself: What the hell is going on?

You know and I know – and anyone with a grain of sense must know – that the ads are misleading at best, downright lies at worst. There are even TV commercials that edit President Obama’s quotes to make them say the opposite of what they really mean. Surely, there should be a law against that?

And the president’s campaign is not entirely blameless. They’re in tit-for-tat mode, slyly presenting the facts to make them as damning as possible.

What’s wrong with the plain, unvarnished truth?

If I were the president, my pitch would be:

Look, I know the economy is not where we want it to be. Not yet. But I’m doing the best I can, considering the obsruction I’m facing, and if you let me keep my job, I will try to do better. I believe we should invest in roads and bridges and schools and stuff like that, instead of  giving our tax money to rich people and global corporations. I believe nobody should go hungry, if we can help it, and no child should be deprived of an education. I think the government’s job is to protect our country and our “inalienable rights,” and to provide equal opportunity for everyone to prosper. And I think that the more fortunate among us should contribute a little more to the community’s welfare. If you share my beliefs, I would be grateful for your vote.

I certainly wouldn’t run ads showing Mitt Romney singing “America the Beautiful.” I realize the Republican candidate has a tuneless voice, and I consider him an altogether unlovable human being. But I don’t care whether he can sing or not. What I want to know is how he would run the country if given the chance.

We’re told the reason for those “negative” ads is that they “work.”

I have to wonder about that.

They attract attention, of course, and some are undeniably clever – in a sly sort of way.

But I can’t believe voters are so easily infuenced in the long haul. This election is not a game in which the cutest ads get a prize. This is serious business. Elections determine how we live – each and every one of us.

By casting our vote, we help to choose war or peace, employment or idleness, health care or neglect, security or abandonment in our old age … Elections determine what kind of education our kids receive, what kindof roads we drive on, what kind of police and fire protection we have…

This is no joking matter. This is life and death.

Photo above shows a silly ad attempting to blame gas price increases on the president.