The one thing Americans can agree on is that the nation is seriously divided. Differences in politics and philosophy have existed since 1776. Why, then, do we seem more at odds than at any time, barring only the Civil War?
The answer lies not in politics, but in the intentional perpetuation, by sloppy journalists, biased educators and partisan extremists, of utterly incorrect information.
The nation’s economy, energy grid, and transportation nexus are being detrimentally affected by actions in response to allegations that the planet is heating up to unprecedented levels due to man-made global warming. The facts suggest otherwise. The world was warmer when the Caesar’s ruled Rome, and when the Norman conquest of England took place. In more recent times, look at the temperatures in the 1930’s. As a matter of fact, some solar scientists predict a cooling trend due to solar activity levels.The Greenland Ice Cap is not shrinking, it’s growing. Ditto for Antarctica ice.
For a significant period of time, U.S. cities were besieged by Antifa and Black Lives Matter. These radical groups insisted that systemic racism plagues the nation. In reality, they could not point to any existing laws or regulations that supported their claim. They alleged that police targeted minorities for killing. Any reasonable analysis of the facts demonstrates otherwise. Citing an example of an extremely isolated incident was an intellectually dishonest move. In a recent interview, Larry Elders, a former California Gubernatorial candidate and a black man, blames race-baiting leftist politicians such as Barack Obama for creating needless racial tension.
Paul Crookston, writing for National Review, reports that “A study by the Crime Prevention Research Center’s John R. Lott Jr. and economist Carlisle E. Moody at the College of William and Mary finds that white police officers may be less likely than their black counterparts to use deadly force against black suspects. This study has not received much attention in the media…”
We frequently hear that the Pentagon budget consumes the lion’s share of federal spending. In reality, The Pentagon budget accounts for about 14% of federal spending. We are told that the U.S. spends vastly more than all its adversaries combined. Not true! A major military analysis website reports that “…the gap between U.S. expenditure on the one hand and that of Russia and China on the other has closed dramatically over the past 15 years. Today, when taken together, spending by Russia and China is roughly equal to U.S. defense expenditure.”
As crime skyrockets throughout the nation, we are fed nonsensical lines that releasing criminals out of jails or eliminating bail for violent offenders makes our streets safer. A Manhattan Institute study proves otherwise. “Slashing the prison population … would require releasing significant numbers of violent and chronic offenders serving time for crimes that most Americans agree should lead to prison. Reducing or eliminating sentences would diminish the incapacitation benefits of incarceration and, given the extremely high rates of recidivism, would expose society to large numbers of people likely to commit more crimes…60% of state prisoners are serving time for murder, rape, assault, robbery, or burglary—four times the number convicted only of drug offenses…Despite the portion of prisoners in for serious and violent offenses, less than 15% of state felony convictions result in more than two years served in prison; even 20% of those imprisoned for murder, and nearly 60% of those imprisoned for rape or sexual assault, serve less than five years of their sentences.”
The response by advocates of false doctrines and failed ideas has frequently been to attempt to censor those bringing the facts to light. Various modes of silencing have been employed, from universities firing conservative professors to the federal government’s attempt under both Presidents Obama and Biden to establish agencies to silence critics. But the dismal result of failed policies cannot be hidden for long.
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