Just the Facts — Behind the Big Lies
“The truth is the adventure of life” (Jordan Peterson)
In my last blog “Truth or Lies: Inconvenient Truths versus Convenient Lies,” I shared Ten Big Lies that have been used to shape some new “truths.” Jim
DeMint’s book on “They’re Lying to You!” warns of the deceit concealed in these lies and provides supporting facts that reflect the actual truths. For the sake of brevity, I have only shared a few of DeMint’s facts but ones I found to be informative. Again, all of this is to give you information you may need when discussing any of these ideas with others who are not informed and wish to be.
On Big Lie #1. Religion is Hate – Belief in God and organized religion cause hatred and oppress people.
Some Facts to Consider in Finding the Truth:
- People who belong to religious congregations and/or attend services are less likely to commit crime, less likely to divorce, more likely to make charitable donations, and adopt babies and foster children at 2.5 x’s the national rate.
On Big Lie #2. America is Racist and Evil – America was built on slavery and is plagued with systemic racism today.
Some Facts to Consider in Finding the Truth:
- The Framers intended for the U.S. Constitution to set America on a path to abolishing slavery. Abolitionist Frederick Douglass (a black man) endorsed the Constitution as an anti-slavery document. We were among the first countries in the world to end slavery.
- America has the largest number of foreign-born residents in the world and continues to welcome a million each year.
On Big Lie #3. Climate Change is the Greatest Threat to Mankind – Climate change caused by man-made CO2 emissions will soon lead to irreversible ecological disaster.
Some Facts to Consider in Finding the Truth:
- Climate is always changing and always will. CO2 comprises only .04% of Earth’s atmosphere and man-made CO2 comprises about one-third of that .04%.
- After decades of dire warnings, none of the alarmists’ models have come true. Most climate models project 1 to 2 degrees Celsius increase over the next 50 years and in the last two decades, there has been a lack of measurable increase in global temperatures.
- Of the hundreds of climate models in use today, not one stops at a certain date because the world has ended.
On Big Lie #4. White People are all Privileged – Whites enjoy lifelong, unearned advantages over people of other races.
Some Facts to Consider in Finding the Truth:
- The real truth in what separates the haves from the have nots in America isn’t race. Rather, it is defining one’s life choices. Americans who graduate high school, get full-time jobs, get married, and have kids do not wind up in poverty.
- Kids with parents who stay married, are not addicted to drugs and alcohol, and read books to their kids enjoy unearned privilege.
- In the 21st century, race is not an impediment to success. Rather lack of character, skills, and drive to succeed will kill your chances regardless of the color of your skin.
On Big Lie #5. American Women are Disadvantaged – Women are held back by rampant sexism in American society which prevents them from attaining equal pay and powerful jobs.
Some Facts to Consider in Finding the Truth:
- In the 21st century, women are more likely to start a business than men. In 1972, women owned 4.6% of businesses and by 2019 that number increased to 36.6%.
- Women today represent 52.4% of medical school students, 59% of master’s degrees, and 53% of doctoral degrees.
- Life is challenging for everyone, but life is getting harder for men. Men represent 56% of high school dropouts which often means a lifetime of poverty, drugs, crime, and fatherless homes.
On Big Lie #6. Capitalism only works for the Greedy Rich – Capitalism is an oppressive economic system designed to help the rich and hurt the poor.
Some Facts to Consider in Finding the Truth:
- Capitalism’s building blocks of free trade, property rights, the rule of law, and judicial oversight are what makes it generate wealth that can be distributed more broadly through wage growth, charities and government programs.
- The “Asian Tigers” (Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea) went from 58.8% of their population in poverty to 1.7% when they all adopted capitalist economic policies and systems between 1970 to 2006. This data was collected in a 2009 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
On Big Lie #7. Big Government helps the Poor – Massive federal programs provide essential services and lift Americans out of poverty.
Some Facts to Consider in Finding the Truth:
- Despite massive expenditures at the federal, state and local levels to fight poverty, the poverty rate in America is essentially unchanged over the last 50 years hovering between 11.1% and 15.2%.
- Good economies lift people out of poverty not government welfare. Work is the only sustainable way for people to escape poverty.
- In every federal program designed to help lower income Americans, there is little in the way of measurable success and more often exacerbated poverty rather than relieving it. Looking at public education and Medicaid alone, there are no improvements in math and reading proficiency or physical health outcomes for lower income Americans.
On Big Lie #8. Open Borders are Compassionate – Looser immigration restrictions and border enforcement are good for America.
Some Facts to Consider in Finding the Truth:
- Legal immigration is one of the great sources of America’s strength. We have one of the most generous policies in the world admitting one million legal, permanent residents each year.
- Open borders have led to a flood of low-skilled workers competing with low-income Americans for jobs. It has also increased criminal and gang activity and brought in deadly, illegal drugs and weapons.
- Treating illegal immigrants as citizens (where most come from authoritarian countries) diminishes American citizenship, our ideals, our language, and our national culture.
On Big Lie #9. If you don’t Agree with the Left, then you are a Racist – If you hold conservative political views, you are a racist.
Some Facts to Consider in Finding the Truth:
- Among the key issues facing our country, the position of conservatives versus those on the left raise the question – who is racist?
- School Choice – Conservatives want more options within the public school system while Leftists (especially teachers union and liberal elites) want to continue increasing the funding for failing government schools. This leaves black inner-city parents trapped in failing schools.
- Pro Life – 38% of abortions are among African Americans who represent 13% of the population. The left supports abortions up to full term whereas conservatives want to defund planned parenthood.
- Tax Cuts & Regulatory Reform – Leftists want big government and adhere to policies of increased taxation and regulation to capture revenue that continue to pay for their “Great Society Programs” from the 1960s under the guise of reducing poverty. In the last 60 years, these government programs have done little to reduce poverty. However, the tax cuts and deregulation of 2017 during the Trump administration contributed to African Americans reaching an historically low rate of 5.4% unemployment in 2019 and the largest increase in their wage growth.
- Marriage & Nuclear Family – Left wing groups like Black Lives Matters and Southern Poverty Law Center seek to destroy the nuclear family, targeting Christian organizations as hate groups and racists. Evidence proves the best way to lift black families and all families from poverty is marriage.
On Big Lie #10. The Constitution is Outdated, Unfair, and Unnecessary – The U.S. Constitution is an outdated document that stands in the way of progress and only benefits a select few.
Some Facts to Consider in Finding the Truth:
- The U.S. Constitution was signed in 1787. By 1997, 160 countries had modeled their own governing documents after it.
- The Constitution sets rules for government and rights for citizens, so Americans know the rules of the game. It assures citizens that their government has limited power and protects them from centralized authoritarianism.
- The left’s plan is to centralize political, economic, and cultural power which is thwarted by the Constitution. It forces the left to debate and compromise when they don’ t want any limits on what they can do.
There is a lot to digest here and far more detail with all the supporting sources of these facts in Jim DeMint’s book. There may only be a few key points here that you can use to engage in your own debates and compromises that our government of, by, and for the people is uniquely designed to accomplish. Our voices need to be heard. Having facts on the issues we care the most about contributes to all of us finding the truth in life’s adventure.