We’ve heard the left utter the phrases “the debate is over” or “the science is settled” repeatedly. On various accounts, it can be frustrating to continue discussing something evidential reasoning has overwhelmingly weighed in on.
Time doesn’t permit a rigorous examination of the data in this article, and I anticipate chastisement from the left over it. I will only counter-chastise in saying that I have written in-depth about each of these individually.
With that objection-handling, I give you the top three ways in which the left routinely ignores data:
1. Climate Change
Not the data of climate change itself, but on how best to combat it. The left does so well demanding society adhere to the findings of various branches of science, indicating aggregate warming of our planet. Within mere seconds of this demand for science, they shut down scientific recommendations, namely, those recommendations of economics.
We know perfectly well that carbon taxes aren’t useful to combat climate change. We have solid information in finance as to what would cause a mass migration to electric vehicles for average consumers. We know what causes green tech stocks to perform well. In spite of the data, the left is resolute demanding alternatives to evidence-based proposals.
Carbon is an inelastic good and the left treats it as an elastic good. They’ve completely missed how to tackle this issue. It doesn’t matter if gas prices rise by a few cents: Driving patterns are unaltered by this. However, if people have more money in their pockets, they do make greener purchases. Selective tax cuts for purchases toward electric vehicles and green energy such as solar panels, leave people with more money in their pockets and incentives to go green.
More money in our pockets is precisely what it takes to make green decisions. People with very little money choose comfortable, traditional, environmentally-harmful choices. People with more money in their pockets can go green if they are incentivized to do so. The green option is mandated by economics.
Greta Thunberg envisions righteous indignation from our grandchildren toward us if we ignore the science. I would charge the left with equal scientific neglect, which also fails to migrate to green energy. But I would also charge them with hypocrisy. In many ways the left is worse than the alt-right’s skepticism.
2. Poverty Reduction
Perhaps this is the greatest sin of all. We have solid data on what causes reductions in poverty. We’ve seen the dramatic declines of suffering within India, China, various South American jurisdictions, and even many African nations are enjoying the fruits of capitalism.
This scientific neglect is a colossal failure. Consider the plight of Canada’s indigenous people. Instead of applying measures that have had considerable success in eliminating poverty, Canada has applied a socialist-style approach to eradicating their plight, including salaried university education, free health and dental, income assistance, and home repairs.
India likewise faced extreme systemic discrimination, centuries of plunder at the hands of the British. In 1990, they opted for a capitalist approach and their poverty rates plummeted. Canada’s indigenous people have been treated to socialism, which has done very little except incentivize poverty, with poverty rates remaining relatively unchanged.
The falsely labeled do-gooders within the left aren’t virtuous people. If they were good human beings, they would not have only called for the alleviation of poverty, they would have applied themselves scientifically and rigorously pursued the defeat of poverty. Instead, they demand failed solutions.
Given the magnitude of the suffering and the magnitude of well-being produced by free markets, I’m willing to go on the record and state that socialists are bad people.
3. Gun Control
The issue is largely settled as to whether or not gun control is effective. It isn’t. The debate has been vivified by memes suggesting Australia has had an impact by banning semi-automatic weapons. They share nonsense about various countries with strict gun control comparing their murder rates to countries with minimal gun control that have higher murder rates.
These memes nearly always omit Russia, a country with strict gun control and murder rates well above average. These memes nearly always omit Switzerland, which has minimal gun control that has murder rates well below average.
Australia’s famous ban had shown diminished murder rates. The ban took place during a major downward trend for murder rates in that country, and the ban briefly reversed the trend.
A Canadian criminology professor recently pleaded with the Canadian Senate to consider the weight of evidence in their determination of whether or not to ban handguns and semi-automatic firearms. He presented endless streams of data, only to be ignored.
The left does so well in calling for scientific literacy, and then when it comes due to carry on with this endeavor to combat societal woes, they’ve exhausted their mental acumen.
Brandon Kirby
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