Effective use of rhetoric can inspire people to take action for good causes, bring about positive changes in health, and even persuade someone to complete college. On the other hand, like most things in life, what can be used for good can also be used in a negative way to arouse emotions such as outrage, fear and panic. This type of rhetoric often uses misleading statements to appeal to emotion, which further complicates matters as emotions are misdirected. Unfortunately, daily newspapers are full of examples of misleading statements. Over the past week, the following five examples have been published in the New York Times and USA Today. Examples included statements demonstrating scapegoating, slippery slope, ad hominem, straw man, line drawing, outrage arguments, and envy arguments. The first example, in an article about the current state of income and wealth in the United States, the author stated that the fact that Americans earn and are worth less than four years ago was triggered by " the financial crisis and the sharp decline in the value of homes, Americans' main asset, followed by the sharp decline in stock prices.” . The crisis led to persistent unemployment that reduced the incomes of many Americans and made wage increases more difficult to obtain for those who remained employed” (Norris, 2012). Falling housing prices are used as a scapegoating technique for the overall financial situation of Americans. Scapegoating is a technique that places blame on a specific group for a certain circumstance (Moore & Parker, 2012, p. 187). By blaming the housing industry, Norris attempts to demonstrate that the American public is largely facing financial hardship... middle of paper ...... From the New York Times: http://www.nytimes .com /2012/06/09/business/economy/as-recovery-drags-on-income-and-wealth-lag.htmlOhio State University. (2012). Statistical summary. Retrieved from Ohio State University.edu: http://www.osu.edu/osutoday/stuinfo.phpSaad, L. (2012). Americans “pro-choice” at a low rate of 41%. Retrieved from Gallup Politics: http://www.gallup.com/poll/154838/Pro-Choice-Americans-Record-Low.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_content=morelink&utm_term=All%20Gallup%20Headlines?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium =gallupnews&utm_cSara Lee Annual Report. (2012). Sara Lee 2011 Annual Report. Retrieved from Sara Lee Corporation: http://www.saralee.com/ourcompany/sl11ar/pdf/2011SL_Financials.pdfUSDA. (2011). Profiling food consumption in America. Retrieved from USDA.gov: http://www.usda.gov/factbook/chapter2.pdf