Sarasota News Leader

02/01/2013

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OPINION WILL THE REAL RICK SCOTT PLEASE STAND UP? EDITORIAL In the late 1950s and 1960s there was a game show on the CBS network called To Tell the Truth. A panel of four celebrities would face three contestants, one of whom had an unusual occupation. The other two panelists were impostors, pretending to be the third contestant. The celebrity panelists would quiz the three contestants in an effort to correctly discern the true holder of the strange occupation. At the end, the host would order, "Will the real (whoever) please stand up." The vicarious fun for the audience was rooting for the contestant to fool all of the celebrity panelists, so they would vote for the wrong person. It was great entertainment, as evidenced by the fact the show enjoyed 12 seasons on the network, followed by an even longer run in syndication. And no real harm was done by the playful subterfuge that was the centerpiece of the show. Unfortunately, were the celebrity panelists actually voters in a state — let us say, Florida — and the contestant was trying to trick those panelists out of their hard-earned tax dollars or, worse, planning to despoil their homes and For each wrong panel vote, the genuine con- property … well, that would have been a tad testant received a larger price. If none of the too sinister for family television. The scenario panelists guessed correctly, the prize was larg- likely would not have enjoyed a record-breaking television run. er still.

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