In his column April 5, Cal Thomas shared his answer as to what is wrong with Washington. He made several assertions to which I must object.

Thomas wrote that the most obvious wrong is the self-interest of politicians — their pursuit of power. But among all Washington wrongs, that one is minor. It is a characteristic people should expect.

Thomas wrote that the left uses the poor, advocating for them only to pursue power. He claimed too much is spent for education, yet it is never enough for the left. And he complained that “climate change appears to remain an unchallengeable doctrine for the left.”

Those three assertions seem to be listed in ascending order of absurdity. I will respond to the last point, as it is the most corrupt and is a good example of what is really wrong in Washington.

Thomas claimed there is evidence ignored by liberal media that strongly refutes climate change. I can see him saying this confidently at a table of dinner companions, all leaning in to catch his wisdom. They may believe him because he is a syndicated columnist, educated. He wouldn’t say such a thing unless he knew it to be true, would he?

Yet only 3 percent of climate scientists oppose the overwhelming consensus that global warming is real (Theoretical and Applied Climatology, November 2016). And those 3 percent are not holding up well on closer scrutiny.

The new evidence cited by Thomas would be a really big deal — if it were true. But if a new discovery altered scientists’ thinking and let the world off the hook with regard to climate change, the public would have read and heard about it by now. We have not. Thomas says that is because the new information is ignored by the liberal media.

Really? There’s a vast liberal conspiracy to promote the presumably false notion of global warming? That absurd conspiracy theory seems to be required for Thomas’ world view.

In the scientific literature and in the world community, global warming is an established and accepted fact. Every other government is planning for it except America. Climate change denial is a Republican phenomena. It is not endorsed by most conventional media but likely is promoted on Fox and on other conservative TV and web sites.

The biggest problem in Washington is a combination of willful ignorance and American exceptionalism that allows many to believe whatever they choose, regardless of facts, while not closely investigating.

Public figures and those with influence, such as Thomas, have a moral obligation to seek the truth. We all do. Many, including Thomas, appear to be satisfied on a limited diet of partisan sources. They must find the courage to read more.

Richard Brown, Turner