I’ll start by giving the other side of this argument its due: Like the bible, in which passages can be found to support both sides of remarkably opposite points of view, respectable scientific experiments and statistical analysis can be found to support both the politically polarized left and right in the USA today. And, while I’m at it, hard facts and number crunching are not necessarily all on which one should base one’s beliefs and loyalties.
All that said though, I’m deeply disturbed by the statistics indicating the degree to which the population of the USA no longer trusts any kind of science or well-documented facts. Yes, we’ve been overloaded by the media’s alarmist headlines, determined to attract attention rather than adhere to any kind of accuracy. And it’s true that, even among the respectable scientific community, funding has become so competitive that time-pressure forces the premature release of findings that are quickly disproven.
Still, as an example, I can find reputable statistics that show that gun control, if done right, eliminates school shootings and, in general, the slaughter of large numbers of innocent strangers. Although there are individual stories where I’m glad someone had a gun with which to defend themselves, I can’t find any statistics that support that free access to firearms serves the general good.
Is my example slanted toward my personal point of view? Might there be holes in my logic or data supporting the opposite point of view that I’m not aware of? And room to commit to beliefs that come from the heart and know no science? Yes. Still, disagree with me if you will, but I would encourage you to first look at reasonably reliable hard facts.
