The con artist is only half the con. Every con needs the "mark;" the mooch, the egg, the target.
The biggest thing the con artists have going for them is this: They WANT to believe the con. There is nothing more compelling that a person's own desire that this wild scheme will work. And I think the most pervasive in our society, right now, is that you can just take a pill, not change the way you eat, and lose weight.
How is this politically pertinent?
To the Flipmobile!
The Diet-Pill fallacy the Republicans have used for three decades is that they can cut taxes... and it will be good. They can cut taxes... and people will have more money in their pocket. They can cut taxes... and nothing bad will happen!
This is a classic application of my Third Reality Principle. If it works, it works.
So, does it work in diet pills? Seemingly not. Yes, they still sell them, which might indicate it works, but if it did, you'd have friends and co-workers running around screaming in joy while clutching whole key lime pies. I'm not seeing that effect.
If diet pills worked, they wouldn't have that disclaimer they flash at the beginning, the one that says you ALSO have to eat a low calorie diet and exercise. Hmmm.
So it doesn't look too good for diet pills.
They've cut my taxes, I believe. It's hard to tell, because I am definitely more short of money than I was in 2000. I work in the Tourism industry, which is not as bad off as the Housing industry, but has definitely taken some hits due to Bush policies. Increased fussing at the border and the generally poor reputation of America has shrunk our out of country visitors.
What about the in-country visitors? They are poorer than they were.
I monitor comments from our website. I have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people saying they love our area, but won't be making their usual trip this year. Money is tight.
Then there's that niggling thing that might not be noticed elsewhere in the country, but is very noticeable when you live near the Canadian border.
Last time I checked, the Canadian dollar was worth slightly MORE than the American dollar.
So I got your economic indicator right here.
And it stinks.
So cutting taxes seems to be a solid diet pill kind of thing. And the same rules apply.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.