Political fallacies that keep us stupid

Political fallacies that keep us stupid

by Garrison Frost

There is a difference between federal, state and local tax revenue. One doesn’t have to pay attention to government too long to hear a politician slough off responsibility for paying for something by saying that money should come from another level of government (federal vs. state, state vs. local). While your taxes are used to pay for different things, that doesn’t change its source (your wallet) or its overall purpose (to serve the greater interests of the public).

Ending the war now would betray the sacrifice of those who have died. This makes for a nice sound byte, but it is essentially illogical. If lives were money, you would never see a responsible corporation pour more money into an investment that has no chance of ever succeeding simply to justify the initial loss. But lives aren’t money, they’re actually more important, which is all the more reason why no one would ever want to add more dead simply to avoid the embarrassment of the initial loss.

Balanced reporting is the hallmark of good journalism. Sure, balance sounds good, but the mainstream media often relies on balance not to educate us, but instead to avoid stating the truth of the matter. Too often, the media is too timid to distinguish between right and wrong, and falls back on reporting the controversy.

The will of the people exists in some heavenly place outside of mass marketing. The will of the people is often discussed in hushed voices as if it is detached from incredibly effective mass media campaigns. Sure, people choose, but often they choose who and what they are told to choose. It sounds like democracy, but it kind of isn’t.

Money doesn’t exist for certain government programs and projects. If the Iraq War has taught us anything, it is that no matter what the economic climate, no matter how far in the red the government is running, it is still possible to find $500 billion for something a lot of people don’t even want.

Anecdotal events indicate progress or movement. Gas is down five cents per gallon. New Bagdad crackdown kills 10 insurgents. Giant drug bust. All of these things would seem to indicate that progress is being made, but in reality gas is still very expensive, Iraq is a mess and the price of drugs on the street is as low as ever.

Political priorities are visible in anything other than budget allocations. Politicians and pundits talk about a lot of things, but their real sensibilities can be seen in what they are willing to spend money on. Everything else is just talk.

(June 21, 2007)