-By Dan Scott
Have you ever listened to an argument made plausible by the clever rhetoric of a person skilled in public speaking? How about attending one of those time share sales meetings where you know something is not quite right but you just can’t put your finger on it? In the end, you reject the sales pitch not because of their failure to be persuasive or factual but because deep down inside you know intuitively that somehow what they are pitching can’t possibly be correct and more importantly will separate you from your money. Intuition, which many call the sniff test is an important part of a healthy self- defense mechanism that protects many of us from being conned by fast-talking hucksters even though we can’t articulate exactly what our objection is. We don’t know where the faulty logic begins but we sure know what a faulty conclusion looks like by life experience or effect.
Most confidence men (women) base their persuasive arguments on a plausible false assumption that they get their mark to buy into by condoning the concept. When I speak of condoning, I speak of the failure to assert an objection whereby we demand proof of the assumption being presented to us. The failure to object in essence implies your acceptance of the assertion as fact without proof or truth. A clever lawyer can insert many an unsubstantiated fact via an unchallenged assertion without the need of proof. Much like the false proof in geometry, the failure to question the assumptions whether spoken or unspoken is the basis of many a false conclusion. Using the logic of geometry or even math we can using flawless logic reach the false conclusion by using a false assumption as a starting point. I call this the process of condoning the assumption.
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Cause and Effect”


In yet another see-I-told-you-so moment, Obama’s cash for clunkers program is now hurting lower income folks who wish to buy used cars by driving costs up an average of $1,800 above what used car prices were at this time last year.
Despite that President Obama made Cap and Trade and other green policy plans a focal point of his early days in office — not to mention his campaign for president — the White House has quietly scrubbed from its official website many of Obama’s promises and green initiatives. I guess the era of Obama really is “change you can believe in”?
The 22nd State Senate District is being badly served by its incumbent Democrat Mike Noland. Several of the campaign fliers that Noland has sent out to his constituents are filled with half truths and untruths and one of his emailed campaign solicitations was listed as being sent from his taxpayer-funded offices in Springfield and Elgin, a violation of campaign finance laws.
Even the New York Times can’t ignore the fact that 
The so-called “
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Americans for Prosperity applauds Governor Quinn for opening an
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