Toggling the Switches

pic: h/t Theo

During a Morning Edition interview today on NPR, Renée Montagne challenged Carly Fiorina, listed as the most powerful woman in business by Forbes magazine during her tenure with HP and currently a top adviser to Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, over maintaining the "Bush tax cuts". Montagne's opening gambit went something like:

"The argument goes that cutting taxes is good for the economy. But, taxes have been cut over the last seven years and the economy is not in great shape."

There is much to bemoan in the further obfuscation of the already overly muddled views of our current economic woes. Nevertheless, since "brevity is the soul of wit, and tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes", let's be brief. What we have here is a logical fallacy. To wit:

• Taxes have been cut.
• The economy is not in great shape.
• Therefore, cutting taxes must not be good for the economy.

OK, so this is not a perfect example of post hoc ergo propter hoc or cum hoc ergo propter hoc; but it'll do. Maybe, the economy is in bad shape despite the tax cuts. Maybe, the economy would be even worse without the tax cuts.

Many factors contribute to economic conditions. Toggling all the switches does not a sound economic policy make. It does, however, make for lots of change, which in some circles passes for a sound Presidential campaign platform.

Post #300 Toggling the Switches