Bad Argument

I've read and talked to a lot of people whom are opposed to the recently passed healthcare legislation. Often, they have really good points as to why it's no good and won't achieve its ends. However, there's a defense that even many respectable economists use that I believe is lame. That is, that

"a clear majority of Americans oppose this healthcare bill."

Brushing aside the fact that we have no idea if a "clear majority" opposes this or not because most people haven't ever talked to a pollster in their lives, this argument is fundamentally flawed. It rests on the premise that majorities mean something, that if a majority of Americans wanted this bill, then it'd be OK.

It means that the mass genocide of Jews in the late '30s and early '40s was OK only if a majority of Germans gave the thumbs up; that bombing the WTC was only OK if a majority of extremists agreed; and that Chinese communism is justified only if most of its citizens don't mind.

This is clearly ridiculous.

Majority opinion confers absolutely no legitimacy upon any argument whatsoever. Even if 100% of all people believed that healthcare legislation was right (and thus could lower costs), or that protectionism was good for them, or that 2 x 1 = 89, they are still in every case wrong. It doesn't matter how many idiots they have on their side.