Anti-science rhetoric has been growing. Ironically it is killing people. An estimated 200,000 Americans might have survived Covid had they been vaccinated. Diseases once almost eradicated are on the rise. Why are some Americans resistant to vaccination? Even prominent figures resist the science. Is it the fault of the adversarial political climate? Is it social media where any individual can spout nonsense over the internet and the ignorant will listen and send them money? Many would seem to have difficulty distinguishing truth from fiction. There's no shame nowadays lying when lying makes money. Many who want to exploit ignorance believe in Goebbel's mantra "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." The more confused people are, the more people are willing to send money as if confirming what they believe to be true. At the root of it all is a mediocre education system where poorly paid and poorly trained teachers struggle to get across the basics of science, mathematics, critical thinking and even English. Americans value money but regard being broadly educated and well-read suspiciously. It ought to be the opposite.