The Numbers Expose the Lies

If you are too young to remember nuts-and-bolts journalism, in which a local reporter would dig into a public document and examine each piece for veracity and logic, then you're in luck. Newspapers may no longer be doing that kind of journalism, but one Central Kentucky blogger is:

Media Czech exposes the numerical fantasies behind the proposed Flintstones Truther Park.

The creationuts claim their abomination will draw 1.6 million visitors per year, a number that even the New York Times swallowed without blinking. Only Media Czech did the math.

"These projections in these studies"? Is there more than one, Governor, or is that just a slip of the tongue? You've "looked at the numbers"? Does this mean that your staff has actually read the ARG feasibility study, or have they just read their summary on a piece of paper, and therefore "looked at the numbers"? Do you take at face value numbers created by Ken Ham's business partner for the benefit of Ken Ham receiving $37.5 million in tax breaks?

Again, one might consider these valid questions for Governor Beshear. Unless you work at the Courier Journal or Herald Leader.

But speaking of "feasible numbers", let's take a look at other parks in the area, and whether ARG's estimates seem feasible.

The Creation Museum averages over 300,000 visitors per year. And this is an all year round attraction, as the exhibits are inside no matter what the weather, unlike Ark Encounter. In fact, the major differences between the two are:

1) Ark Encounter is an outdoor attraction, meaning that this will be a mostly seasonal attraction
2) Ark Encounter has a giant boat, whereas the Museum has animatronic dinosaurs. I wonder which one kids will like more.
3) The Creation Museum is right next to 2,000,000 people. Ark Encounter is in the middle of nowhere.

Yet "ARG" expects us to believe that Ark Encounter will get 6-7 times the visitors that the Creation Museum gets. Interesting.

He makes the same comparison with King's Island amusement park in Cincinnati, Kentucky Kingdom amusement park in Louisville and the Cincinnati Zoo.

So what will it be, Herald Leader/Courier Journal? Do we ask our Governor specific questions about this feasibility study and the $37.5 million in tax breaks (and national ridicule) that have sprung from it, or do we just take these crazy people and their crazy numbers at their word?

Read the whole thing.

The creationuts are lying, and Governor Beshear is either too stupid to realize it or too corrupt to care.

And the cowardly transcribers at the Herald and the Courier are beneath contempt.