Sample Summary

On December 23, 2010, Paul Krugman's "The Humbug Express" appeared in the online New York Times.  In it, Krugman notes that a number of statements made by conservative think tanks and politicians--called "humbug factories" by Krugman--are based on inaccurate data.  Nonetheless, Krugman notes, those statements are regarded as true because they are pervasive.  That is to say that they appear often, and because they do, people think they are true.  Although Krugman reveals a significant liberal bias in his comments, he does point out the danger in assuming that something is true just because it appears often.

Definitions
Conservative /kǝn*sŭr’vǝ*tĭv/ (adj.)- politically inclined towards weak central governmental authority, socially inclined towards perceived traditional values
Liberal /lĭ’bǝr*ǝl/ (adj.)- politically inclined towards strong central governmental authority, socially inclined towards inclusion and equal regard for multpile groups
Pervasive /pǝr*vā’sĭv/ (adj.)- appearing often and in many places