** "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble; it's what you know that just ain't so" - Mark Twain
*** "Reality is that which, when you stop believing it, doesn't go away" - Philip K. Dick
People are much more comfortable in their lies and misconceptions, than they ever could be with the real world, seen for what it is.
The Universe is a large and frightening place, and is totally unconcerned with your dreams, hopes and aspirations. The only crime for which there is no escaping the consequences is stupidity. The sentencing may not be swift, but it is sure and merciless, neither cruel not just.
Re: the “discouraged worker” and “food/energy inflation” issues.
My understanding is that these measurements were being used long before Obama took office.
I may be wrong, but if this is right it is dishonest to blame it on Obama.
We are born, and are lied to until the day we die. Lied to about politics, religion, life, expectations and science. Our hopeless task is to sort it out.
Which position is anti capitalist, collectivist and authoritarian? Science has precious little to do with global warming hysteria. Our cultural revolution has a green guard and a gay guard in addition to the red guard of Maoist fame.
The best way to set up a person for cognitive dissonance is to have him DO something - big or small, doesn’t matter - in the name of his new belief. Compared with merely holding the belief (often loosely-held), such an action both reinforces the belief and magnifies the potential cognitive dissonance exponentially.
The purveyors of the global warming scam understood this. They seized upon recycling (which many people were already doing) and energy efficiency (everybody wants to cut their utility bills), and told us we were saving the planet. They told us if we merely replaced our light bulbs (who doesn’t have to do that from time to time anyway?) we could join the “Saviors of the World” club. And every time we did some little thing like that, and told ourselves it was a good thing to do, we invested ourselves more deeply in the belief.
(Think of as religious syncretism with a twist. :-)
The crucified 21st century Messiah will rise from the dead