Know your source: Cato is an advocate for libertarianism, at least as envisioned by its funders, founded in part by Charles Koch, and still heavily funded and controlled by him (and I think by his brother). I don't mean that in a partisan way; you might love them, hate them, or not care one way or the other, but it's always useful to know who is talking.
The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations
21–30 of 274 posts
Re: The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations
#22New rule suggestion. You must argue at least one flaw in the study or article before pointing out the source may be biased.
Re: The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations
#23Thanks for sharing, very interesting stuff. The more unbiased studies we have like this the better.
I wouldn't refer to the Cato Institute as anything but biased, as it's a neo-con libertarian think tank funded by the Koch Brothers but this particular study is fascinating simply because it IS a neo-con libertarian think tank funded by the Koch Brothers.
Wikipedia cites Cato as being critical of neo-con foreign policy and the Iraq War.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cato_Institute#Libertarianism....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cato_Institute#On_foreign_poli...
Do you know what neo-con means? Serious question
Re: The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations
#24Re: The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations
#25Know your source: Cato is an advocate for libertarianism, at least as envisioned by its funders, founded in part by Charles Koch, and still heavily funded and controlled by him (and I think by his brother). I don't mean that in a partisan way; you might love them, hate them, or not care one way or the other, but it's always useful to know who is talking.
The internet has made it very easy to shield ourselves from the arguments of people with differing views. Disclaimers such as this are just another way for us to filter what we read and further isolate ourselves ideologically. Who cares who said it so long as what they said has merit? Conversely, a healthy skepticism is always valuable, regardless of the source.
(Don't take me the wrong way, I absolutely agree with you with respect to not filtering our input, I go out of my way to find people biased against my topics to see how they look at things and for me at least the labeling _assists_ with gathering a more diverse viewpoint, and understanding the true motives at play)
Re: The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations
#26Re: The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations
#27Know your source: Cato is an advocate for libertarianism, at least as envisioned by its funders, founded in part by Charles Koch, and still heavily funded and controlled by him (and I think by his brother). I don't mean that in a partisan way; you might love them, hate them, or not care one way or the other, but it's always useful to know who is talking.
Re: The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations
#28Know your source: Cato is an advocate for libertarianism, at least as envisioned by its funders, founded in part by Charles Koch, and still heavily funded and controlled by him (and I think by his brother). I don't mean that in a partisan way; you might love them, hate them, or not care one way or the other, but it's always useful to know who is talking.
In my opinion, it largely succeeds. The fact that it was partially funded by someone I may not like is irrelevant (the ad hominem fallacy).
That's the entire purpose of the scientific method -- to bypass the ad hominem arguments you have made, to seperate the data and the claims from questions of whether we happen to like the person or group making the claims on a personal level.
Re: The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wouldn't refer to the Cato Institute as anything but biased, as it's a neo-con libertarian think tank funded by the Koch Brothers but this particular study is fascinating simply because it IS a neo-con libertarian think tank funded by the Koch Brothers.
Honestly, what is your issue with the Koch Brothers?
Re: The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations
#30Thanks for sharing, very interesting stuff. The more unbiased studies we have like this the better.
I wouldn't refer to the Cato Institute as anything but biased, as it's a neo-con libertarian think tank funded by the Koch Brothers but this particular study is fascinating simply because it IS a neo-con libertarian think tank funded by the Koch Brothers.