Scientific Illiteracy

[James Marple <jesl@carolina.net>]

Fred Stoss: 

I hope this is not a rerun of previous comments from my "CRWM" group but here goes:

Agree that concerned citizens need to do serious homework if they are to speak out 'meaningfully' and not provide ammunition to 'anti-environmentalists'.  But I've found that much of the false information that misguides concerned citizens originates with agents of profiteers.  Wordsmiths such as public agency managers, their spokespersons, consultants they hire and phony 'non-partisan' organizations (Like California's ubiquitous Water Education Foundation) work together with marvelous coordination to keep the public ignorant of ways in which its water and energy needs could be supplied from local natural resources. (This is not accidental or amazing, since they all march to the same orders from Generals of the profiteer army.) 

To illustrate my point: 

Californians are regularly informed by State agencies, the mighty Metropolitan Water District, local water districts and most journalists that "An acre-foot can supply the household needs of two typical families for a year". Yet in fact this 326,000 gallons equals the household needs of three California families.  While this may not seem a huge difference, it allowed exaggerations of 'looming shortages', the "Chinatown II" scenario, that prodded even honest politicians into granting approval of a $16 billion MWD expansion that merely matches irrigation needs.  This is an enormous subsidy indeed when you consider that not only will it provide cheap water to 250,000 acres of commercial property, it used up over 2 million megawatt-hours of electricity last year, creating the appearance of an energy shortage that allowed theft of over $50 billion dollars through utility bills and more than this through upcoming taxes.

So yes, education is critical.  But this must include a course in recognizing false information and insidious deceptions that makes voters reject what common sense tells them about the promises of incumbent politicians who failed to put local rainfall to proper use as a means to minimize pollution and flooding to 'acceptable' levels.