Opinion disguised as fact

Darlene LaFollette (“Trump is not alone,” July 18), responding to a June 20 letter (Jen Moody-Watkins, “Trump’s instability not partisan”), says, “We all have our opinions. … But we should not express as a statement of fact something based only on our opinion.”

That rule sounds reasonable, but is it? Few letters to the editor follow it. Fancy having to preface every statement in your “Opinion” section piece with “I think”!

Opinion statements that do need “I think” are those with a factual patina. Contrast “[Trump] has no regard for anyone but himself” with “One doesn’t have to like the president or agree with him, but his policies have put the country on a road to a prosperity we haven’t seen for a long time.”

The first statement, by Moody-Watkins, is plainly impassioned personal opinion. The second, by LaFollette, sounds coolly factual: no reasonable person, it implies, would deny we’re on the road to prosperity thanks to Trump’s policies. In fact, many expert observers, including not a few on the right, warn that Trump’s policies - massive upward wealth redistribution, punishment of allies, pandering to dictators, climate change denial, isolationism, etc. - are putting us on the road to economic ruin.

Brian L. Keeling

Spokane