Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity

John Stossel, news correspondent and co-anchor for ABC’s 20/20, in his book, Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel--Why Everything You Know is Wrong, takes a shovel to uncover the truth behind what many assume to be conventional wisdom.


Myth: Global warming is an imminent danger

Truth: The earth is just emerging from a mini ice age and is naturally warming. The change in average global temperature is less than one degree over the last 150 years. There is no correlation between man-made green house gases and increase in average global temperature. The Kyoto agreement, if followed by every nation, would cost trillions of dollars and reduce the average global temperature by only a fraction of a degree. Melting polar ice will not raise ocean levels just as ice melting in a glass doesn’t raise the water level.


Myth: Women earn less than men in the same jobs

Truth: Men are more likely to work in high-risk, high-discomfort jobs, which pay more, than women, who traditionally choose low-risk, high-comfort jobs, which pay less. When salaries are compared for the exact same jobs, women earn the same as men. If women earned less then men, then a company that hired only women would be able to outperform all other companies. Since that isn’t happening, it is evident that there isn’t a significant difference in pay, otherwise companies would only hire women.


Myth: Schools are unsafe

Truth: Twice as many students are injured or killed outside of school than inside school. Schools are the safest place for children to be. All the national media attention given to dramatic school shootings gives the impression that schools are unsafe, when in actuality they are very safe.


Myth: Outsourcing is bad

Truth: Outsourcing is good because it enables companies to invest the significant savings into expanding their businesses, resulting in the hiring of more local workers who have skills that can’t be replaced by overseas workers. Outsourcing allows companies to be globally competitive and produce goods more inexpensively, saving consumers money.


Myth: Video games teach kids to kill

Truth: There is no correlation between video game use and violence.


Myth: Pesticides are harmful

Truth: Most pesticides are very safe and can be ingested without any harmful effects. Most carcinogen studies are too sensitive and have labeled many products as unsafe which are harmless to the environment and humans.


Myth: Homeopathic medicine works

Truth: Homeopathic medicines are so diluted that many solutions have miniscule amounts of medicine, or none at all.


Myth: School choice is bad for education

Truth: Competition breeds excellence while the present lack of competition breeds mediocrity. By allowing parents and students to choose which school to attend it would force schools to improve, and continue to improve, in order to attract and keep students.


Myth: Lawyers protect the little guy

Truth: Lawyers only care about making money for themselves. High profile cases where plaintiffs are awarded large settlements actually enrich the lawyers, who get 30% to 50%, or more, of the settlement. Often class action lawsuits are frivolous and use pressure tactics to get corporations to settle out of court to avoid costly legal fees and prolonged negative publicity. While a few people make off with a large sum of money, the companies pass their losses on to the consumer, so the little guys end up paying for the lawsuit in the long run, enriching the lawyers and a few little guys.


Myth: Medical malpractice lawsuits make medical care safer

Truth: Many malpractice suites are frivolous and cost doctors millions of dollars in malpractice insurance, lost hours for practicing medicine, and fear, leading to the ordering of costly tests and procedures that aren’t needed simply to avoid a lawsuit. This costs the doctor’s money, which is then passed on to the consumer in higher medical costs and insurance premiums. As a result, the quality of health care diminishes while the cost increases.


Myth: Bottled water is better than tap water

Truth: There is very little difference in taste between tap water and bottled water. Many blind taste tests have shown that most people choose tap water over bottled water. And bottled water isn’t any cleaner than most tap water either. When tested for bacteria, bottled water actually had higher counts than tap water. It isn’t a coincidence that one of the largest bottled water companies is named “Evian”, which is “naïve” spelled backwards.


Myth: The price of gasoline is skyrocketing.

Truth: Gasoline is relatively cheap considering how difficult it is to produce and distribute, and when inflation is considered, gasoline is actually cheaper today than it was twenty, and even fifty, years ago. Even if gasoline cost $3 a gallon, it is still cheaper than bottled water, which runs close to $6 a gallon when bought in bottles, at the same gas station.