The one column Sowell wrote that sums up my own disillusion with today's society is
this one. I have found the same thing over the years as I reluctantly watch news broadcasts and read media reports. The "knowledge" of most issues that voters are being fed these days is little more than sloganism. No one even asks for facts or evidence of results any longer... they seem satisfied with catchphrases that suit their own prejudgements, the very pre-packaged prejudgements which are often absorbed via the media and schools.
I remember my daughter in third grade coming home from school telling me we should conserve water. Why? Some parts of the nation, the west in particular, had a water shortage. We are east of the Mississippi and have a deep well which has never gone dry. But conserving water was a popular issue when CA was suffering, so the idea caught on, whether it was relevant here or not. Now the only toilet we could buy for the new bathroom was a water saving one that is hard to keep clean since they don't flush well. That might make sense in CA, but is nonsense here.
That's just one (poor) example of knee jerk reactionism that has spread through our nation. Sowell sums up the problem far better than I ever could, so see his article... I agree with him 100% here. Here's a quote that describes the problem:
Quote: People who have made up their minds and don't want to be confused by the facts are a danger to the whole society. Since the votes of such people count just as much as the votes of people who know what they are talking about, politicians have every incentive to pass laws and create policies that pander to ignorant notions, if those notions are widespread.
Now, most people's first reaction to this will be to take offense and assume Sowell is calling voters stupid, rather than considering the examples he gives in so many writings that support the sad truth. Too many politicians want power more than they want what's best for our country's people. The "ignorant notions" that people absorb are usually tossed at them by politicians, with the help of the schools and media. Put a notion in the public's head, talk about little else until brainwashing is complete, then ride the issue to victory. Meanwhile, stifle experts who disagree, ignore facts which support the opposite view, and don't ever allow enough of the opposing evidence to leak out to the public. That's the road to getting elected with your promises to fix imaginary problems, t'hell with the consequences.
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