Checkpoint Identifying Fallacies

8. From a letter to the editor: “The counties of Michigan clearly need the
ability to raise additional sources of revenue, not only to meet the
demands of growth but also to maintain existing levels of service. For
without these sources those demands will not be met, and it will be impossible
to maintain services even at present levels.”
9. In February 1992, a representative of the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico
gave a radio interview (broadcast on National Public Radio) in which he
said that the Church was against the use of condoms. Even though the
rate of AIDS infection in Puerto Rico is much higher than on the U.S.
mainland, the spokesman said that the Church could not support the use
of condoms because they are not absolutely reliable in preventing the
spread of the disease. “If you could prove that condoms were absolutely
dependable in preventing a person from contracting AIDS, then the
Church could support their use.”
10. A 1991 book by a former member of the National Security Council indicated
that supporters of Ronald Reagan may have made a deal with the
Iranians who had been holding American hostages for months. The Iranians
agreed not to release the hostages until after the 1980 election (in
which Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter), and, it was alleged, the new
administration promised to make weapons available to Iran. Here’s one
reaction to the announcement of the deal:
“I’m not surprised about Reagan’s using trickery to get himself elected
president. After all, he was nothing but an old actor, and he was used to
using Hollywood trickery to fool people during his first career.” [continues]

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