Wal Mart and confirmation bias :: Arnold Kling - TCS

Plain speaking Arnold Kling could not have put it more plainly:

Most of my friends are liberals. This series is the conversation I wish that I could have with them.
. . .
Chances are, you will look for some errors in my reasoning, so that you can dismiss everything that I have to say. All of us tend to read this way. We overlook flaws in the arguments of sympathetic writers, and we go all-out to find the flaws in arguments of others.
. . .
For example, in January of 2006, liberals in the state of Maryland rejoiced over passage of a law requiring Wal-Mart to pay higher health benefits to its workers. I think that they would have less smug satisfaction if they considered how this actually is likely to play out.

Read the whole thing. Especially if you are already sensing you disagree.