I came across this on You-Tube. Al Franken takes on Brit Hume’s use of numbers. This is a good example of how to lie with statistics. Regardless of one’s political position, I believe very strongly that we need for the media and political people to not lie with numbers. If their policy position is a good one, they should not need to lie with statistics. And we the people need to take notice when statistics appear to be nonsense.
Take a look:
Al Franken does the math
The People are Unhappy with Washington
PEW came out with a new poll. The lead paragraph:
“The public is profoundly discontented with conditions in the country, its government, political leadership and several of its major institutions. Fully 79% are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country. Even more (86%) say they are frustrated or angry with the federal government. Favorable ratings for both political parties are in negative territory and have declined since the beginning of the year.”
The chart tracks approval ratings for Obama and Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders. Things do not look good for either party.
See the story: Approval Ratings Decline
What’s in a Name?
This Q and A from PEW:
PEW Ask the Expert
Q. I am always frustrated by polls asking whether one is a liberal, moderate or conservative. My feeling is that about two thirds of Americans are liberal on social issues and conservative on economic issues. (In other words they are actually Libertarians) Can’t you ask this question better? Even laying out “litmus test” questions on gun control, abortion, the effect of more or less taxes and deficits, gay marriage, national defense (foreign adventures), space exploration, size of government, global warming (and what to do about it, assuming it exists), etc. I fear that many people answer “moderate” because they are taking an average, so to speak, while having very strong but inconsistent and diverging opinions — anything but moderate.
Answer: The summary measure of political ideology you refer to has been in use — in one form or another — since the 1930s. It is useful to us for summarizing trends in ideology, and when used in conjunction with party affiliation provides a powerful way of segmenting the public. We certainly find that self-labeled conservatives tend to take conservative positions on issues, while self-described liberals tend to take liberal positions. Moderates, as you suggest, often express a mix of views. Continue reading
The Debt: CNN Poll
CNN posted polling results: “Debt ceiling deal should include cuts and tax increases”
The story by CNN’s Rebecca Stewart
“According to a CBS News Poll released Monday, 66 percent of Americans say an agreement to raise the amount of money the nation can borrow should include both spending cuts and tax increases.
More than half of Republicans say the agreement should be balanced and roughly seven out of ten Democrats and independents say the same. More tea party supporters also agree, since 53 percent say any deal should include both spending cuts and tax increases.
Republicans and adults who identify with the tea party are more likely than Democrats or independents to support a plan that only includes spending cuts. Almost four in 10 Republicans favor using spending cuts alone to reduce the deficit and 44 percent of tea party supporters agree. Twenty percent of Democrats would leave tax increases out of a debt ceiling deal and include cuts only; 28 percent of independents say the same.”
Methodology: The CBS New Poll was conducted by telephone among 810 adults nationwide from July 15-17. It has a sampling error of plus or minus four points.
Will Congress reflect these views? We will know soon, as the clock is ticking down.
See article: Debt Ceiling Poll
Wealth Gap Grows%
Pew published this article:
Wealth Gaps Rise to Record Highs Between Whites, Blacks and Hispanics Twenty-to-One
By Rakesh Kochhar, Richard Fry and Paul Taylor, Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends
July 26, 2011
“The median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households and 18 times that of Hispanic households, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of newly available government data from 2009.
PEW: Wealth Gap 2009 vs 2005
How is net worth defined? It is assets minus debts. Given the collapsing housing market, many people’s assets ain’t what they used to be. In addition, some people are finding that carrying debt is costing more now that interest rates credit companies can charge has been deregulated. At 20% or more, getting out of debt will be hard, even if the economy begins to provide enough jobs for everyone who wants one.
PEW also noted that the losses in net wealth has been greater among blacks and Hispanics.
PEW writes:
“From 2005 to 2009, the median level of home equity held by Hispanic homeowners declined by half — from $99,983 to $49,145 — while the homeownership rate among Hispanics was also falling, from 51% to 47%. A geographic analysis suggests the reason: A disproportionate share of Hispanics live in California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona, which were in the vanguard of the housing real estate market bubble of the 1990s and early 2000s but that have since been among the states experiencing the steepest declines in housing values.
White and black homeowners also saw the median value of their home equity decline during this period, but not by as much as Hispanics. Among white homeowners, the decline was from $115,364 in 2005 to $95,000 in 2009. Among black homeowners, it was from $76,910 in 2005 to $59,000 in 2009. There was little or no change during this period in the homeownership rate for whites and blacks; it fell from 47% to 46% among blacks and was unchanged at 74% among whites.”
To read the article: see:
Wealth Gap Article
I’m Back!
Moving and selling my home pushed the “to do” to overwhelm, leaving no time to blog. Now that I’m settled in Portland Oregon, I will return to blogging–posting research studies that are of interest to public administrators, political junkies and public policy advocates. Stay tuned!
July Open Thread
What cialis vs viagra which is better research is generic viagra online turning up cialis canada prescription in canadian neighbor pharmacy phone number the order viagra online media that generic cialis online is buy generic cialis online interesting?
Age and What We Know
From PEW:
75% vs. 21% – Zuckerberg vs. Boehner
The founder of the social networking site Facebook is a far more prominent figure in the lives of America’s young adults than is the speaker of the House of Representatives. In a recent News IQ survey, 75% of adults younger than age 30 were able to identify Mark Zuckerberg as Facebook’s creator, while only 21% had a clue as to who John Boehner is. Among all adults, more knew the Facebook founder than the speaker, but the margin was much smaller (55% vs. 43%). Adults ages 65 and older are the only group to have more knowledge of Congress than of the social network: 55% of older Americans can ID the speaker while only 25% recognize Zuckerberg. An equal number (58%) of adults ages 50 to 64 can name the founder of Facebook and the speaker of the House.
PEW Poll Results
View more Daily Numbers
Go to PewResearch.org homepage
College Debt
My email from “Too Much” offered these statistics:
“Thirty years ago, notes analyst Bryce Covert, two-thirds of college student aid came from government grants. Two-thirds currently come from loans, and that means ever greater debt burdens.
This spring’s graduating seniors will march off into the world with $22,900 in average debt. Total student debt hit $530 billion this past December, one reason, Bryce Covert adds, why one-third of all adults under age 33 have no savings.
A half century ago, the United States literally “invented” higher education as a mass phenomenon. For years, the United States sported more college grads than any other nation. The United States, on college grads, now ranks ninth.”
From “Too Much”
How Much Money Do People Need to Live?
Wider Opportunities for Women just released a report that defines economic security and concludes that many families earn less than what is needed. In its April 1st press release, WOW stated: “The national Basic Economic Security Tables TM (BEST) Index, developed by Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), a national organization that works to achieve economic independence for women and their families, finds that single workers need $30,012 a cialis hearing loss year – nearly twice the federal minimum wage – to cover basic expenses. buying viagra in mexico Single-parents require nearly twice the income ($57,756) to support two children, while dual-income households with children require $67,920.” WOW Press Release Full report Continue reading