Scott writes:

Would you feel comfortable telling an accident victim in a wheelchair
that “his type of person” is disproportionately composed of drunks? If
not, be careful in making generalizations about the unemployed.

My question for Scott: Would you feel comfortable telling someone who drove drunk, got in an accident, and ended up in a wheelchair that, “You’re to blame for your problem”?  Despite my views on desert, I personally would keep my mouth shut. 

But doesn’t the search for truth require economists – like judges – to set etiquette aside and go wherever the evidence leads?