If you are not a scientist, you should ask one.
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BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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And if you are not an economist, ask one. Or a theologian, or an historian, or an ecologist, or a teacher, fire fighter, etc. Congress used to get expert information before Gingrich changed the rules. Sigh.
Are we asking them about casual observation?
Please if a TPGOP member asks an expert it would violate the rule of only get information from TPGOP sources.
I guess the logical implication is that only “scientists” should be elected to Congress.
Wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. Not too many Repub scientists out there. Facts, reason, knowledge, analytical ability, etc…all anathema to the “conservative” mind!
No, the logical implication is that politicians should ask scientists about subjects that only scientists are qualified to explain.
Why is that Republicans didn’t have a conniption when George Bush always insisted on “talking to the generals” when it came to making decisions during the Iraq War II?
After all, mightn’t those “experts” have had a bias, too?
Guess it depends on exactly what it is a person is wanting to hear, eh? Maybe a little selection bias going on there?
Begs the question of which scientists to ask. Corporate America and the rightwing can always find a scientist, often reputable scientists, to tell them what they want to hear. (Charles Murray is one still held in high regard.)
Brings to mind my dear, late mother-in-law. She was a heavy smoker, and over the years we tried and tried to convince her to quit smoking by telling her how it was directly contributing to almost all her health issues. Her response was, “That’s all government propaganda. There are just as many doctors who say smoking isn’t bad for you as say that it is. But they won’t tell you that”.
Sadly, in the end, we were right. And she was wrong.
Tobacco companies were behind that misdirection. it all came out in the lawsuits. Republican denials aside, the tobacco companies were found to be engaging in outright lies and deceptive practice.
Well, then you get the “i have a bachelor’s degree in biology so I am a scientist” crap on climate change, ebola, you name it.
There’s even math majors at my company that make that claim…