Opinion: Confess your uncertainty

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Tuesday, May 2, 2017 [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [David Leonhardt] David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist In our politically polarized country, it’s easy to find confirmation for your beliefs. Just ask your like-minded friends. Or watch the television shows, read the writers and listen to the politicians who tend to be on your side. In [my column today]( I urge both Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, and her critics to consider evidence that runs counter to their pre-existing beliefs. I hope DeVos will be open to the evidence showing that school vouchers have largely been a failure, and I hope progressives will be open to the evidence showing the many successes of charter schools. Too often, people either reflexively support both vouchers and charters or oppose both. Working on the column led me to ask which of my own pre-existing beliefs I am willing to question. I came up with two, and I invite readers to send thoughts about either to [leonhardt@nytimes.com](. (When I’ve asked for input from you in the past, the responses have been wonderful.) First, I’ve started to wonder whether my views on health care have been too conservative. For a long time, I’ve believed that single-payer health care was politically infeasible and that private health insurance had significant advantages over government-run programs. But the Republican assault on the private Obamacare exchanges [has led me to think]( that a creeping single-payer system — which is to say, expanded Medicare and Medicaid — may be as politically feasible as the status quo. Substantively, [Medicare]( and [Medicaid]( also seem to be well-run and popular programs. Second, I’ve started to wonder whether my views on immigration are too liberal. I’ve long been a passionate believer in [the benefits of immigration]( to the United States. That belief remains firm. But I have also come to appreciate [some]( [of the]( [conservative arguments]( in favor of reduced immigration among less-skilled workers. In particular, the slowdown of immigration in the mid-20th century seems to have brought significant benefits to the immigrants who had previously arrived in this country. That slowdown allowed them to climb the economic ladder while facing less competition. Shifting today’s mix toward higher-skilled immigrants may be one small way to combat inequality. I’m still trying to work through my thoughts on health care and immigration, and would welcome any reading suggestions or other ideas. I’d also enjoy hearing about your own political uncertainty. At a time when so many of us seem certain about so many issues, a little uncertainty is a healthy thing. The full Opinion report from The Times follows, including Katelyn Beaty on [the male-centric culture of conservative churches]( and Robert P. 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Letters [Answering Bret Stephens on Climate Science]( Readers react to the first column by a conservative writer who thinks we should be “skeptical of an overweening scientism.” SIGN UP FOR THE VIETNAM ’67 NEWSLETTER Examining America’s long war in Southeast Asia [through the course]( of a single year. FOLLOW OPINION [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytopinion]( [Pinterest] [Pinterest]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »](  | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2017 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018