When I was studying to be a Physician Assistant, I never dreamed I would have to spend so much time
explaining the principle of cause-and-effect.
I can't count how many patients I have had complaining of coughing and shortness of breath. I ask them if they smoke, and when they say 'yes', I ask them how they could possibly be surprised at the resulting symptoms, or so confused about how to make them go away.
I tell you, the Big 7 have to be the greatest salespeople in history: "Hey! We would like you to pay us to poison you to death. But before you die, you, your breath, your car, your home, and your clothes will smell bad, your lips and fingers will turn yellow, and most people won't want to be around you. How does that sound?"
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I could never do what you do…
and some developing countries still promote that myth. 
or we won't be able to help build a better future for our descendants.
This cause-effect problem hits the 30% who, even though well educated, don't
realize that 7 out of 10 people they meet didn't get past high school, nor do the 30% grasp how that education difference plays out in society over time. It hits them and society's wallet hardest.
Two reasons:
First, at least two generations of Americans have had it drilled into them, to the level of a cultural norm, that we don't need no college, because what America needs is innovation -- see Bill Gates, Zuckerberg, Jobs, Madden, etc, etc. -- and that cultural norm keeps 30 exceptions front and center, to get over 300 million to believe they can be like that, too. So corporations have campaigned for a culture of ignorant consumers. Having is being/Money is freedom -- a good size of 70% of Americans. College grads and 'some college' make up the other 30%. That's a lot of people walking around with a high school understanding of how things work.
Second, public schools must put more consistent planning, teaching and testing emphasis on thinking skills, and start that emphasis no later than 7th grade, so that kids understand cause-effect thinking and other logic strengths, as well as fallacies.
Also understand that the pupil-teacher ratio of 30:1 makes teaching logic and argument actually the hardest things to teach. My experience as a high school teacher of research and debate has been that it's not enough to have students point out when logic is faulty. That's typical of what they get, mostly, because flaws are easiest for teachers to point out and explain. The most constructive units teach what topics are arguable, what their experience with arguers and arguments has been, who benefits in arguments, when and why argument its supports are solid. ALL with plenty of example from both teacher and students.
It takes a few years to grasp examples of cause-effect across various areas of life, and so it should be systematically taught. What happens to people who read v those who don't read is one example. Or the simple example of a person slipping on a banana peel -- either of these get streams of issues opened up (induction/deduction, audience capacity, facts v opinion, time management, etc).
A commitment to openness and the whole truth are mandatory components of any units that teach argument.
I have to say that I learned this from students: they say previous teachers didn't teach something, just because they didn't learn it, and I could prove to them for a fact that I knew and saw those teachers' classes and lessons.
I've learned that poor learners with poor attitudes need logic repeated, and again later, and usually the hard way.
Which bring us around to why Republicans are generally stupid -- because they exemplify those who don't get cause-effect until it actually happens to them; e.g., covid and their behavior, school v no school...
And because they weren't taught, professionals like you have to make up for that during your entire career.
Ignorance, denial and addiction are expensive; capitalism prefers it that way.
Sorry for going on and on, but this sticks in my craw, too. 
never looked back.
