The following is taken from an editorial in a local newspaper:

“Over the past decade, the price per pound of citrus fruit has increased substantially. Eleven years ago, Megamart charged 15 cents a pound for lemons, but today it commonly charges over a dollar a pound. In only one of these last 11 years was the weather unfavorable for growing citrus crops. Evidently, then, citrus growers have been responsible for the excessive increase in the price of citrus fruit, and strict pricing regulations are needed to prevent them from continuing to inflate prices.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

In this editorial, the author attempts to blame the high prices of citrus fruits on market forces rather than on the natural conditions that produce the fruit. The author asserts that in 11 years the price of lemons rose 300%, whereas in only one of those 11 years was the weather unfavorable for growing citrus crops. This statement is misleading, because it fails to take into account that the price per pound of citrus fruit has changed drastically over that period. A graph of change in price of citrus fruits in the San Francisco area between 1986 and 2011 shows that the price of one pound of lemons has steadily increased from 15 cents to $1.00. During this same period, the prices of other citrus fruits, though also increasing, did not rise as high as lemons. Additionally, the price of citrus fruits in the early 1990s was much less than it is now, suggesting that lemons have increased their price by more than their competitors. The author also omits to mention that the price of citrus fruits was much higher in 1986 than it is now because fresh citrus fruits were generally more expensive in 1986 than they are today. A more likely explanation for the increase in the price of citrus fruits is that, as demand increased, the supply of citrus fruits decreased, which in turn caused the price of citrus fruits to rise

The author’s assertion that citrus growers are responsible for the high prices of citrus fruits is also misleading. The demand for citrus fruits has increased steadily since the late 1980s. The population of the United States has increased by almost 30 million since 1986, and many of those people are now able to afford citrus fruits. As more people became able to afford citrus fruits, the demand for them increased, and the price of citrus fruits rose. Therefore, higher prices do not necessarily mean that citrus growers are to blame; they simply reflect the fact that the demand for citrus fruits is greater than the supply. Furthermore, the author’s assertion that the price of citrus fruits has risen “approximately 300%” since 1986 is an exaggeration. Using the same graph, it can be seen that the price of one pound of lemons has risen from 15 cents to $1.00, but that the price of one pound of oranges has risen from 10 cents to $1.25. Therefore, while the price of one pound of lemons has risen from 300% to 300%, the price of one pound of oranges has risen only from 50% to 55%. Therefore, the author’s assertion that only one of 11 years was unfavorable for growing citrus crops is also false, and the claim that citrus growers are responsible for the high prices of citrus fruits is not supported by the facts

The author also asserts that the price of citrus fruits has risen “approximately 300%” since 1986. However, this claim is not supported by the graph. According to the graph, the price of one pound of citrus fluctuated between 10 cents and 30 cents over that time period. Therefore, while the price increases certainly were substantial, they were not anywhere near 300%. The claim that citrus growers are responsible for the high prices of citrus fruits is also unsupported by the graph. The prices of the citrus fruits listed in the graph all increased substantially, but the price of oranges rose the most. Furthermore, the price of oranges rose in 1991, six years before the lemon price increases. It can therefore be safely concluded that demand for citrus fruits has increased steadily over time, and that the increase in demand for citrus fruits has caused the higher prices

The author also mentions that the price of citrus fruits was much higher in 1986 than it is today, but he does not explain why. In fact, he provides no historical information at all, so the reader is left to assume that the prices were much higher in 1986 than they are today. Furthermore, he does not mention the price of citrus fruits at any other time. Since the price of oranges rose the most in 1986, we can assume that oranges were the most expensive citrus fruits in 1986. The prices of other citrus fruits listed in the graph were much lower in 1986 than they are today. Therefore, although the price of citrus fruits in 1986 was much higher than it is today, we cannot say for certain that it was 300% higher

The author asserts that the price of citrus fruits has risen “approximately 300%” since 1986. This statement is misleading, because a graph comparing the price of citrus fruits over this period shows that the price of lemons rose the most, but the price of oranges rose the most. Therefore, the price of lemons rose only from 300% to 300%, while the price of oranges rose only from 50% to 55%. Furthermore, the author does not clarify his use of “approximately.” While the price fluctuations are substantial, they are not anywhere near 300%. The claim that citrus growers are responsible for the high prices of citrus fruits is also not supported, because the prices of the citrus fruits listed in the graph all increased substantially, but the price of oranges rose the most. Therefore, while the price of one pound of lemons rose 300%, the price of one pound of oranges rose only 300%. In conclusion, the author’s claim that the price of citrus fruits has risen “approximately 300%” is not supported by the facts, and the claim that citrus growers are responsible for the high prices

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