John Boehner, January 6, 2006

You’re probably familiar with the term, "conventional wisdom." It’s a nice way of saying that something has been repeated often enough that some have begun to take it as a matter of fact. Every now and again I hear "conventional wisdom" cited -- whether in news or conversation -- and presented as information that, one supposes, is accepted as true.

But how accurate is most "conventional wisdom" these days? Let’s take a look at a few examples.

"Conventional wisdom" says that President Bush’s authorization of the NSA to monitor calls and e-mails to known al Qaeda terrorists is a "unique" and "illegal" activity. But it’s unique only if you exclude the fact that previous presidents have authorized the NSA to do the same thing. And it’s illegal only if you ignore a 1972 Supreme Court decision that says the President may decide to use this tool when responding to foreign threats.

Of course, any time the President exercises his authority as Commander in Chief we have the right to question whether he’s using his power legitimately. But to do so we need facts -- something "conventional wisdom" is often short on.

Take China, for instance. "Conventional wisdom" says China is producing huge numbers of world-class scientists and engineers that will dwarf our technological prowess and thwart our economic leadership. But research from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) -- one of the world’s premier management consulting firms -- shows that many of China’s graduates are simply unemployable. According to the report, China is actually facing a shortfall of the skill necessary for economy growth.

Similar problems with "conventional wisdom" infect our own national debate over education. The landmark No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) introduced accountability into federal education policy for the first time since the LBJ era. "Conventional wisdom" holds that NCLB is "underfunded." But consider this: When Democrats controlled Congress and the White House in 1994, they authorized $13 billion for the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA). But they only appropriated $10.3 billion. Did anyone accuse President Clinton of "underfunding" schools by $2.7 billion? Of course not. For a basis of comparison, $24.4 billion was appropriated to schools for fiscal year (FY) 2005. The "conventional wisdom" that NCLB is "underfunded" is pure fiction -- nothing more.

On the other side, "conventional wisdom" also says NCLB "expands the federal government’s role in education." But does it really? In order to receive federal funding, NCLB asks states to set and meet their own education standards by requiring things like annual state assessments and school report cards. That’s about it. States decide what to evaluate and how to evaluate it, and can opt-out at any time.

You might ask: why have states evaluate schools and students annually? Because the more parents know, the more likely they are to push for meaningful change in our schools. When parents lack information, there is little incentive for schools to demonstrate that they're using taxpayer resources effectively. Without the ability to measure, there's no way for parents (and by extension, policymakers) to know for certain that children are learning.

"Conventional wisdom" also reared its head in the months before the 2004 presidential election and held that new overtime rules proposed by the Bush administration would "hurt workers" and were "bad news for the economy." Was "conventional wisdom" right? Unsurprisingly, no.

A Wall Street Journal article in April 2005 showed that new Department of Labor protections immediately made more low-income workers eligible for overtime pay. Since those protections went into affect, a wide variety of workers have benefited from new overtime rights and increased pay.

The same critics who touted this "conventional wisdom" now oppose reforming America’s biggest entitlement programs, such as Social Security, on the same grounds. If we’d listened to "conventional wisdom" before, far fewer workers would be eligible for overtime payment. Is there really any reason to keep listening?

As we begin a new year that’s sure to be full of contentious policy debates, beware of arguments that begin by citing "conventional wisdom."

Congressman John Boehner, a Republican, represents Ohio's Eighth Congressional District, which includes Miami, Butler, Preble, Darke, and Mercer Counties.