Things That Concern Me (in no particular order) #1: Rick Perry
Not believing in Global Warming is one thing; I can imagine an intelligent person who isn't convinced (but avoids polluting anyway, hopefully, just because it's the right thing to do).
Rick Perry, though, claims that it's a theory that was manufactured by data manipulation, and portrays it as something that more and more scientists are abandoning -- which is of course wildly out of whack with what reputable sources indicate.
Two aspects of this disturb me -- beyond the obvious, that he might wind up leading the country, and continue telling people this twisted version of the facts, and making executive decisions on that basis.
For one thing, it's the product of an overall attitude of distrust toward science and scientists that strikes me as deeply ominous. For another, I suspect that it's almost entirely self-serving; "My career and my fortune will prosper if I profess to disbelieve in X; guess what? I disbelieve in X." I guess the truth goes by the wayside if your meal-ticket is threatened...
Rick Perry, though, claims that it's a theory that was manufactured by data manipulation, and portrays it as something that more and more scientists are abandoning -- which is of course wildly out of whack with what reputable sources indicate.
Two aspects of this disturb me -- beyond the obvious, that he might wind up leading the country, and continue telling people this twisted version of the facts, and making executive decisions on that basis.
For one thing, it's the product of an overall attitude of distrust toward science and scientists that strikes me as deeply ominous. For another, I suspect that it's almost entirely self-serving; "My career and my fortune will prosper if I profess to disbelieve in X; guess what? I disbelieve in X." I guess the truth goes by the wayside if your meal-ticket is threatened...