EDITORIAL NO SHAME.

THEIR reactions to Measure R's deliberate-misinformation ad campaign indicate that Los Angeles City Council members aren't losing sleep over this betrayal of the public.

In their morally flexible logic, lying, while not ideal, is acceptable since the public just can't be trusted with the truth.

If Angelenos made decisions based on the facts -- namely that Measure R on the Nov. 7 ballot would merely rearrange the rules for lobbyists, not really clean up government, and give council members four additional years before term-limits kick in -- they wouldn't do the ``right thing,'' at least not ``the right thing'' for the council's self-interest.

``There are good public-policy reasons to extend term limits,'' said Councilman Greig Smith, criticizing the ad but not its intentions.

But if that's true, then why not run a campaign that points out the ``good'' facts? Surely if the best thing for the city is to have the council members ensconced in their districts for additional years, the public will endorse it.

We know why proponents rely instead on disinformation and half-truths -- and so do they, despite their protestations.