William James was a damn smart man:

The most violent revolutions in an individual's beliefs leave most of his old order standing. New truth is always a go-between, a smoother-over of transitions.

The point I now urge you to observe particularly is the part played by the older truths . . . their influence is absolutely controlling. Loyalty to them is the first principle; for by far the most usual way of handling phenomena so novel that they would make for a serious rearrangement of our preconceptions is to ignore them altogether, or to abuse those who bear witness for them. [emphasis mine.]

Memo: Technique matters. But Reality's the bitch, not the messenger.

Case in point... Slate:

Capitalists for Hillarycare
Look who's supporting universal health care now.

In the early 1990s, big business largely opposed Hillary Clinton's ill-conceived effort to establish a government-run universal health insurance plan. But over the past several years—and especially in the past year—large corporations, and the trade groups that speak for them, have been subtly changing their tune.....

That interest in more government health care is spreading from automakers to other manufacturers. In December, a study released by two business establishment trade groups, the Manufacturers Alliance and the National Association of Manufacturers, found that when it came to structural costs—environmental compliance, taxes, and employee benefits—American companies pay more compared to many foreign competitors. Structural costs add 22.4 percent to the price of doing business in the United States—more than in Canada, Britain, or South Korea. The largest single structural cost borne by the American private sector is health care. The clear implication: Unless society (read: the government) does something to relieve manufacturers of their health-care burden, the sector will suffer further....

HCA's profit warning points to several other reasons why big business will eventually accept a Hillary-like scheme. First, because it's the largest hospital company—HCA has a market capitalization of about $20 billion—HCA's uninsured problem is Wall Street's problem. Expect more of the analysts, bankers, and credit-rating agencies who have a vested interest in HCA's future to start commenting on the need for a national solution to the health-care crisis. Second, because it was founded by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's family, HCA's problems are also Washington's problems. [emphasis mine.]

Hmmm. I suppose it goes without saying that Canadian, British and South Korean Tax Structures and Environmental Compliance policies are far more "onerous" than those in these United States. All those nasty taxes and regs and they're still kicking our hiney's Structural Cost-wise. What gives?

Perhaps another William has the answer, this time, Bill O'Neill, founder of Investor's Business Daily. 20 rules of investing:

#18: Don’t try to bottom guess or buy on the way down. Never argue with the market. Forget your pride and ego.