Let the american decide

[mookiemookie]

A Gallup poll shows that 1 in 4 Americans believe we won our independence from a country other than Great Britain. Many people said France. Others said China. 18% of those polled believed the sun revolved around the Earth. 3% had no opinion.

According to another Gallup poll, Americans believed Glenn Beck was the 4th most admirable man in the world. The same poll ranked Sarah Palin as the the 2nd most admirable woman in the world. Elin Nordegren Woods got just as many votes as Maya Angelou.

The average American can tell you more about American Idol or the Casey Anthony trial than they can tell you about the debt issue. I don't think I want them making decisions about it.

[Osmium Steele]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

A Gallup poll shows...

NEVER trust polls, no matter the organization.

Skew the question, skew the sample, skew the results and you can show Leonardo DeCaprio to be the most influential american in history.

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

The average American can tell you more about American Idol or the Casey Anthony trial than they can tell you about the debt issue. I don't think I want them making decisions about it.

+1

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Osmium Steele

NEVER trust polls, no matter the organization.

Skew the question, skew the sample, skew the results and you can show Leonardo DeCaprio to be the most influential american in history.

While I will agree with you up to a point, there's no way of phrasing the question, skewing the question, etc. that would make me answer that the sun revolves around the Earth.

[Osmium Steele]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

While I will agree with you up to a point, there's no way of phrasing the question, skewing the question, etc. that would make me answer that the sun revolves around the Earth.

Ah, but polls are not about about a single person. We are talking about sampling a slice of a population. I know I could find an appropriate sample to show that 60% of americans DO believe that the sun orbits the earth.

For example, I'd only need to find 3 people who already believe it, ask 2 more people who don't, and voila.

Manipulate the sample size/content, and you can "prove" almost anything.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Osmium Steele

I know I could find an appropriate sample to show that 60% of americans DO believe that the sun orbits the earth.

For example, I'd only need to find 3 people who already believe it, ask 2 more people who don't, and voila.

Manipulate the sample size/content, and you can "prove" almost anything.

Then that would not be a representative sample and your poll would be biased.

The Gallup organization follows established methodology for selecting poll populations.

Instead of a blanket "you can't trust polls", it would be more appropriate to only trust polls where the methodology is published and to use the results in an appropriate manner.

There is nothing wrong with polling as long as people understand how it was designed, how the data was collected and coded, and how to interpret the results.

[Growler]

I will never trust polls. Ever. For anything. For one simple reason: I give extreme-of-range data replies to every poll I take.

Yes, that's right. I am self-identifying as that "Margin of Error" they all include.

And I figure that if it's possible that ONE person is purposely answering polls with dubious replies, then it's theoretically possible that other people are doing the same, thereby invalidating the whole thing.

I like to mess with people's heads.

[mapuc]

I suppose this debt-issue, is to important to let the average american vote wich proposal, the governmet should use

1 The Obama's
2 The Republican's
3 None of them

No offend, but in my ear, it sounds like, that the politicians in Whasington have low thougts about it's habitants.

I know it's not a common thing to us this type of referendum.

But it's the future of USA and it involves every people living there.

Markus

[Anthony W.]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

The same poll ranked Sarah Palin as the the 2nd most admirable woman in the world

So am I a bad person for agreeing with that?

[Growler]

Originally Posted by Anthony W.

So am I a bad person for agreeing with that?

Nope. Just means you think differently from those that named whomever for the most admirable woman in the world.

Frankly, the entire political spectrum has become way too much celebrity and not much in the way of celerity, but please hold the celery.

[Anthony W.]

Originally Posted by Growler

Frankly, the entire political spectrum has become way too much celebrity and not much in the way of celerity, but please hold the celery.

I completely agree.

[Freiwillige]

Think of it like this. If your household borrowed from the bank 40 cents on every dollar just to pay the bills doesn't it make more sense to cut some of the bills? Cancel the cable TV! Cut back on purchases. You cannot live lavishly off the bank forever.

The government only collects X amount of dollars in taxes annually so all programs should fit within that X amount of dollars!

A lot of this could be fixed by giving each side a flintlock pistol and having an old fashioned duel, to decide or better yet just shooting every politician and starting from scratch.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Rilder

better yet just shooting every politician and starting from scratch.

There is probably a down side to that. I just can't think of one off hand, but I am positive there must be.

[Anthony W.]

Originally Posted by Rilder

A lot of this could be fixed by giving each side a flintlock pistol and having an old fashioned duel, to decide or better yet just shooting every politician and starting from scratch.

Or, we the Subsimmers could draft a constitution, and buy Washington DC.

[Anthony W.]

Originally Posted by Freiwillige

Think of it like this. If your household borrowed from the bank 40 cents on every dollar just to pay the bills doesn't it make more sense to cut some of the bills? Cancel the cable TV! Cut back on purchases. You cannot live lavishly off the bank forever.

The government only collects X amount of dollars in taxes annually so all programs should fit within that X amount of dollars!

Agreed.

They can't raise taxes because that'd cause A LOT of small businesses to shut down - and in effect they'd LOSE money.