2019 hits and misses
Here’s my take on a few of the hot topics I addressed in 2019.
Marijuana, nicotine, and vaping
My May column describing the negative health effects of marijuana attracted an exceptionally large number of readers and more than a few angry comments. Paragraph after paragraph in the column cited definitive research reported in peer-reviewed journals, but facts didn’t have much of an impact on marijuana advocates.
In November, I was ahead of the curve in opposing flavored e-cigarettes with their appeal to teenagers. In the last two months, both Congress and the Utah legislature have begun steps to combat the plague. School surveys indicate that ten percent of Utah students in the sixth grade through high school have vaped in the last month.
Trump’s 2020 reelection chances
While I support a lot of what Republicans have done in the last three years, I’m no Donald Trump fan: I didn’t vote for him. Yet Democrats are racing to the extreme left like lemmings heading over a cliff.
I offered advice on how Democrats need to get real to beat Trump. I endorsed a New York Times opinion column that bemoaned Democrats’ preference for socialism over chances to win the presidency. And I described how Elizabeth Warren’s Medicare for All financing plan most likely killed the prospects for this program, embarrassing other Democratic presidential hopefuls who had endorsed it.
Google and Facebook
I was ahead of the game on Google modifying search results to fit the political biases of its staff. The Wall Street Journal recently published extensive research showing “how Google interferes with its search algorithms and changes your results.” Just as users can expect a biased point of view from Fox News or MSNBC, they can expect the same from Google.
Ironically, Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai — the same person who told Congress that the “company’s search engine had no bias against conservatives” — has been promoted to CEO of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. Some companies never learn.
Meanwhile, Facebook, which I applauded for addressing its anti-conservative bias, pledged $130 million for a new content oversight board.
Medicaid fraud
Medicaid has been near the top of my list of badly-administered government programs for years. I expressed hope that Utah, which wisely held off expanding Medicaid, would learn from the blatant abuses rampant in other states.
After I’d published, a Wall Street Journal exposé addressed this topic. In an article titled “Why Obama Stopped Auditing Medicaid,” the Wall Street Journal explained how allowing widespread fraud was an integral part of making Obamacare appear as a success.
U.S. temperatures unchanged
Once again, a column loaded with facts was criticized by readers whose passionately held beliefs didn’t match the data. I didn’t do a good job of presenting those facts in my first attempt and was duly chastised by several thoughtful readers. My follow-up column was an improvement that drew far fewer responses and no criticism.
For those keeping score, the 12 months through November 2019 in the U.S. were more than 0.8 degree F colder than both 2005 and the average of the last 15 years.
Here’s hoping that readers will at least be somewhat more skeptical of claims that temperatures are rising inexorably. The “adjusted” U.S. temperature data reported routinely in the media don’t match the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Reference Network. The CRN was developed specifically “to provide a continuous series of climate observations for monitoring trends in the nation’s climate and supporting climate-impact research.”
Republican boondoggles and handouts for the wealthy
Consistent with my opposition to government waste, fraud, and abuse, I highlighted two Republican programs that should be an embarrassment to conservatives.
The otherwise laudable federal 2017 tax reform law included an ill-considered “Opportunity Zone” provision to revitalize distressed urban areas. The fact that booming St. George qualified says it all.
Utah’s Republican-dominated legislature decided to subsidize electric vehicle charging stations. Legislators must have wanted to ensure that folks wealthy enough to buy a Tesla wouldn’t run out of juice on their way to and from government-subsidized professional athletic arenas.
Tilting at windmills
Like Don Quixote, I keep tilting at the Lake Powell pipeline, but that juggernaut keeps rolling along. And I’m not sure the Supreme Court will ever put an end to the nationwide injunctions that gum up implementation of federal policies.
I appreciate readers’ interest and support. And I respect the opinions of those who disagree. Pro or con, keep those cards and letters coming in 2020.
The viewpoints expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Independent.
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