Commentary I stood on the Kansas House floor as a newly minted state legislator in 1994, opposing legislation that most of my colleagues desired and which would make life much easier for those in power. The bill criminalized lies stated during campaigns. Believe me, I was sympathetic! And I remain sympathetic. I cannot count the lies and misrepresentations that have been uttered by my political opponents regarding my public service. Yet, then and now, I oppose criminalizing politics. Affording government the power to determine what is a truth and what is a lie, backed by the threat of fine or imprisonment, chills the type of speech that is the lifeblood of a healthy democracy—political speech. A free country must proceed on the presumption that citizens will endeavor to learn the truth, and that those vying for elective office will hold each other accountable to the truth. Moreover, I said in …