Reasons why politicians lie to the public

People complain when the leaders that they themselves elected lie to them, do corrupt practices, and abuse their power. On the other hand, the other side of the story, people voted for these politicians who were lying to them even during the campaign process. Why do politicians lie? We should ask ourselves, do we reward these politicians for lying to us? Below are some of the reasons why politicians lie to the public:

1. Voting
     If a politician tells the truth (e.g. “There will be tax increases” which is not what the public wants to hear), he will lose to a candidate who lies and says “There will be no tax increases” which is exactly what the public wants to hear. The public does not want extra taxes, they don't want additional deductions from their income.

2. Conversations
    Politicians will lie about things much the same as sales persons who wants to sell products and sweet-talking lovers to please women. They don't want to say anything negative, they wanted their names to be spotless and fragrant.

3. Reputation
    If a politician tells the truth and says “I smoked pot”, that means he’s a lawbreaker and bad example and will ruin his reputation. Politicians will lie about sexual affairs to preserve their sweet-smelling name. They will lie about involvement in any illegal activities. They will lie about fraudulent practices or scams but they themselves are the mastermind or a member of elite big bosses and big fishes. They want to hide their bad side until of course, proven guilty.

4. Performance
    Politicians will lie to make it appear to the public that they are doing a good job. They will try to cover their bad performance by doing some projects that would appeal to the people and gain their approval. They will try to offset the real issues and divert the people's attention. They want to show they are doing something "good" but their overall performance is poor.

5. Broken Promises
    If a politician promises to do something about health care (even if he is lying, and have no plans about it), he will win over a candidate who made no mention about health care. They make empty promises to stay above the competition. They want to prove they are better than other candidates or political parties.

6. Public expects more
    Politicians who says they can deliver more based on their platforms will win over a candidate who truthfully says he can deliver only this much. The people will not vote for a candidate who says "I can only do this much with this limited budget". They want to vote for a party or a candidate who says "I can deliver more even with less budget".

Are we choosing the Least Evil or the Best Liar?
    Among a bunch of lying candidates, voters are left to choose the least evil or the best liar who would provide solutions to the problems of the public. People should consider the above reasons before voting for these politicians. Be careful when electing, they will become our leaders, who would either make us or break us.