‘Trickle Down Economics’ Nothing More Than Label Used to Smear Capitalism: Economist
A strawman fallacy is sleight of hand for charlatans who refuse to argue in good faith.
Finding his point of view on rocky ground—perhaps due to lack of research, poor communication skills or flat out unsubstantiated position—a debater will struggle to refute an opponent’s argument.
Where a better person would be honest and consider the possibility they could be wrong, a cowardly debater is more interested in standing his ground.
To give the impression he has refuted his opponent’s point of view, a rogue shark will often resort to iconic trickery, distorting their opponent’s argument and reshaping it into something new. It’s far easier to refute a claim so ridiculous nobody made it in the first place.
Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance Chief Economist Dr John Humphreys spoke to the Epoch Times about “trickle down economics” and how the term forms a strawman argument by those trying to disparage free markets.
Daniel Y. Teng writes for the Epoch Times
The term “trickle-down economics” is nothing more than a label used by opponents of capitalism to disparage free markets, according to economist John Humphreys.
Humphreys, the chief economist at the Australian Taxpayers Alliance, said despite the term being widely used, it was nowhere to be found in economics studies.
“People who argue for free-market capitalism don’t actually use the term,” he told The Epoch Times in an email. “The left uses loaded language in order to ‘poison the well’ against their opponents, and thereby avoid honest policy debates.”
He said historical evidence showed that free market capitalism is the only sustainable way to bring millions out of poverty, and reducing barriers and regulations is the only way to drive productivity and wage growth.
“If forced to debate on the evidence or theory, then the left struggle—so instead they rely on dishonest strawman arguments, and cheap emotional manipulation.”
The economist also points out another deliberate misrepresentation of capitalism and that it was a zero-sum game between classes in society.
Read the full story at the Epoch Times.