Not that you asked

Remember Benghazi? There was a time not so long ago when you couldn't turn on the TV or pick up a newspaper or magazine without seeing or reading the word Benghazi. Fox News covered Benghazi all day, every day. Congress held at least seven investigations into the attack on our embassy there. In fact, they are still investigating it today. All of that coverage and investigation was because "they" wanted the truth. Then, just as suddenly, Benghazi dropped off of the radar.

What happened?

The real truth is what happened. It turned out that what all of those people leading those Benghazi "truth squads" really wanted was to hurt Hillary Clinton politically. At least, that's what the House Majority Leader and a Benghazi Committee investigator both said. Since they admitted that, Benghazi isn't mentioned by anybody anymore.

The whole Benghazi soap opera and its inglorious end not only revealed conservatives for the type of people they are, it also revealed a real problem they have. That problem is they cannot accept the truth, even when presented with evidence of it, if it doesn't conform to their deeply held beliefs. As I wrote above, Congress has investigated Benghazi at least seven times. Each investigation reached the same conclusion: that nobody--not the President, Hillary Clinton, the military, or the CIA--did anything wrong. Conservatives hate Hillary Clinton so much that they refuse to accept those findings. That's why they keep investigating Benghazi, hoping for a different conclusion.

That's not the only truth they have trouble accepting. Over 90 percent of scientists say that global warming is not only real, it is a serious threat to our continued existence. Conservatives don't want to hear that because doing something about global warming would mean we would have to stop using fossil fuels eventually. That would mean change. Conservatives hate change. Therefore, they continue to say that global warming is a hoax.

That really shouldn't be a shock to anyone. Conservatives have always had problems with science. They believe that creation science should be taught in schools instead of evolution and prefer abstinence education instead of sex education in schools. In fact, one abstinence education group continues to use Bristol Palin as a paid spokesperson even as she is about to have a second baby out of wedlock. Basically, conservatives approach science the same way they do the law--if it ain't in the Bible, it ain't true. To them, there are only ten laws, and the Earth was created in six days, and if you don't believe that, you're a godless heathen.

Conservatives continue to oppose background checks for all gun sales because they say they won't prevent bad people from getting guns. At the same time, they support the law making marijuana illegal, even though that law hasn't prevented anyone from smoking pot. Haven't these guys ever heard of prohibition?

And last, but by far not least, conservatives continue to believe that the key to a strong economy is to cut taxes on corporations and our wealthiest citizens. They believe in the magical thinking that if company owners and manufacturers pay less taxes, they will suddenly start hiring workers and making more goods. They believe that even though that idea failed under Reagan in the 1980's and under George W. in the 2000's.

The true key to a strong economy is a strong middle class. Manufacturers don't produce more goods, nor do stores hire more people unless there is a strong middle class to buy those goods and shop in those stores.

Why do you think manufacturers produce more goods and stores hire more people in the months close to Christmas? It isn't because they are suddenly infected with the Christmas spirit. They do it because at that time of year there is more demand for goods and more shoppers in stores. It's not rocket science, just basic economics of supply and demand.

The solution to our economic problems isn't the hard part. The hard part is getting conservatives to understand that putting money in the hands of the middle class instead of cutting taxes on the wealthy is the solution. It's hard because that idea goes against their beliefs, and as I have pointed out here, they cling to those beliefs even when they are proved wrong.