Think about how correlation is often miscast as causation. That is, cause is attributed to a variable when in fact, there is no causal relationship but only a correlation between the two variables. Consider any current news articles or media stories (especially political articles or stories) that involve correlations.

The correlation is often miscast as causation, especially when political issues are taken into consideration. Recently the policy of President Obama health care services has been criticized tremendously. The correlation was miscast as causation.
Describe how correlation might be interpreted inappropriately as causation. Also describe the possible explanations for the correlation.
The Republicans claim the policy is ineffective because it led to the deterioration of the national health care system. This criticism replaces causation by correlation. What they fail to realize is that the President’s policy is not the cause of the problems we have with the health care system in this country. The deterioration of the national health care system is determined by multiple factors, which may be correlated and interdependent, such as the economic recession and the ineffective organization of the health care and insurance system. I would therefore say, President Obama’s policy on the health care system is an example of the case when correlation is replaced by causation. In actuality the current policy not the cause but is one of the factors that affects the performance of the national health care system which does not provoke the deep crisis in our national health care system. The correlation is therefore replaced by causation.

Reference
Gravetter, F. J. & Wallnau. (2013). Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.