The Daily Plunge

The scaremongering on Global Warming is reaching a fever pitch. It is amazing how this issue receives so much attention when there are so many other real problems in the world. The spread of infectious diseases, terrorism, poverty, and oppressive governments are all much more important issues. Liberals seem to be more willing into buy the hysteria than conservatives, but that’s not surprising. The Left seems to be less optimistic about the world, especially mankind’s role in it. Arthur Brooks writes about the perplexing idealogical differences between conservatives and liberals in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required).

While 92% of conservatives believe that hard work and perseverance can help a person overcome disadvantage, only 65% of liberals think so. This difference of opinion, contrary to the convention, is not because conservatives earn more money. In fact, lower-income conservatives are about twice as likely as upper-income liberals to say they think there’s “a lot” of upward mobility in America. If a liberal and a conservative are exactly identical in income, education, sex, family situation, and race, the conservative will be 20 percentage points more likely than the liberal to say that hard work leads to success among the disadvantaged.

What gives us conservatives the audacity of hope? In my lifetime I’ve seen my dad work from poverty into a successful small business owner. Meanwhile him and my mom had five children who they decided to homeschool. We’ve all gone to college so far and we’ve each paid our own tuition. I worked close to full time while I took classes. I’ve always believed that things would be better in the future if I worked hard. I guess it’s a naive thing called hope. It seems as though hope is failing in this day and age. People whine about gas prices, the economy, TV, the “war,” and any number of things. Is it any wonder that the weather is now the new gloom and doom topic? Those enamored with these theories always end up doing more harm than good. Here’s more rational discussion of topic that has become filled with paranoia and overtly one sided.

Yes, there is consensus that Earth’s temperatures have risen slightly, and humans played a role. There is no consensus that climate change will be catastrophic, human CO2 emissions are the primary cause, or slashing emissions will prevent the supposed cataclysm.

It’s a classic bait-and-switch tactic, repeated endlessly by activists, scientists, journalists, bureaucrats, celebrities and politicians. They used similar tactics 35 years ago to excise DDT and other insecticides from disease control programs. Tens of millions died from malaria — and none of the perpetrators have ever apologized, admitted error or been held accountable for the unconscionable disease, brain damage and death they perpetuated. Now they say we should trust them on climate change.