Even before COVID-19, certain American leaders exhibited an ‘anti-expert bias,’ where people with knowledge are derided as snobbish elites — mostly because their solutions may not be politically popular and might cost money, though evidence shows that problems from ignoring their advice can be far costlier.
According to the conservative Forbes Magazine:
New World Screwworm, a parasitic fly with larvae that burrow in healthy tissue of cattle, deer, horses and other warm-blooded animals, was first discovered in May… Experts have warned a wider screwworm outbreak could severely impact already-suffering cattle numbers and put even more of a strain on ranchers as they spend money on treatment and prevention which could, in turn, increase the price of beef, which has already gone up roughly 75% since December 2020.
So where did this problem come from? According to Forbes “The return of screwworm comes after the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, launched by the Trump administration, last year cut funding for a project dedicated to monitoring and containing New World screwworm in Central America.”
Of course, the experts warned what could happen, but in addition to slashing USDA workers and programs, DOGE went after monitors as well.
The funding was axed days before the U.S. ended a temporary suspension of cattle imports from Mexico, meaning livestock was allowed to cross the border without any of the monitoring previously funded by the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID). Agriculture officials and cattle industry leaders raised alarm about the cuts at the time and, for the last several months, pleaded with the government to step in as they monitored screwworm infections moving north through Mexico — but they were ignored, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller told NBC News.
So a tech titan without a ton of farm or ranch expertise slashed USDA and USAID experts trying and stop this screwworm that’s now poised to go after our cattle and raise our beef prices, costing us more to fight it now. If you’re not well off, well, it’s a big problem.
The Reflecting Pool has become a political football, with some arguing that certain unknown individuals smuggled in enough algae to cover a surface that, in the president’s graphic, is taller than the Empire State Building, Sears (now Willis) Tower, and One World Trade Center.
As for charges of intentional damage to the coating, New York Times reporter Peter Baker writes:
Government documents obtained by The New York Times show that while National Park Service workers found two cuts in sections of foam between the pool’s expansion joints, those were not directly related to the “American flag blue” coating that is now peeling, or to the algae that has turned the pool a bright shade of green.
Another explanation comes from National Public Radio.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is a perfect, artificial incubator for algae. Its warm, stagnant, and shallow waters, combined with nutrient-rich runoff, allow Desmodesmus and cyanobacterial blooms to multiply rapidly. Painting the pool a dark, ‘American Flag Blue’ to enhance reflectivity actually absorbs more sunlight, artificially warming the water and accelerating growth.
It’s worth noting that due to recent budget cuts, NPR got rid of their climate desk, so there’s likely to be less information about how the environment works, which could lead to more costly budget fiascos from debatable contracts.
Experts aren’t always right, but we are daily reaping the consequences of ignoring every expert outright in favor of the “gut feeling” of a few in politics.
And the American people are reaping the consequences of such decisions, in our government budget and wallets.
John A. Tures is Professor of Political Science and Coordinator of the Political Science Program at LaGrange College, in LaGrange, Georgia. His first book, “Branded”, is available on Amazon. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu.