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BS: Election statistics
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Skeptic Date: 06 Dec 00 - 01:41 PM Wolfgang, Thanks for the information. I'd read it in Twain's autobiography and hadn't looked further. Regards John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Wolfgang Date: 06 Dec 00 - 01:06 PM The nearest quotation from Churchill I have been able to find is: I gather, young man, that you wish to be a Member of Parliament. The first lesson that you must learn is, when I call for statistics about the rate of infant mortality, what I want is proof that fewer babies died when I was Prime Minister than when anyone else was Prime Minister. That is a political statistic.'' (Winston Churchill) Wolfgang |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Whistle Stop Date: 06 Dec 00 - 12:53 PM From what I understand, 97 per cent of statistics are made up on the spot. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Wolfgang Date: 06 Dec 00 - 12:27 PM Here's the relevant citation from Mark Twain's autobiography: Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics." Churchill is much too young for being the author of this citation. Twain himself attributed it to someone else, namely Disraeli. However, with the exception of Twain's autobiography there is no independent indication that the citation actually comes from Disraeli. [The above citation] has also been attributed to Henry Labouchère, Abraham Hewitt, and others. No one other than Twain is known to have credited Disraeli with making the comment. British statistician John Bibby once appealed to his colleagues for a reliable source of the saying. The best anyone could come up with was this 1896 comment by a member of the Royal Statistical Society: ``We may quote to one another with a chuckle the words of the Wise Statesman, lies, damned lies, statistics...'' After consulting a Disraeli biographer, Bibby concluded that he probably wasn't this Wise Statesman. Bibby is still trying to determine who was. So maybe the citation is nothing but folk-lore, the actual author remaining anonymous forever. Wolfgang |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Margo Date: 06 Dec 00 - 11:47 AM Carol C, I don't get you... huh??? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler Date: 06 Dec 00 - 06:33 AM A quote from Sir Humphrey Appleby (Yes, Minister)that adorns the cover of the folder where I keep some stats I am forced to compile: "If we do not send all the statistics, government figures will be a nonsense. They will be incomplete. Of course, government figures ara a nonsense anyway, but at least we can ensure they are a complete nonsense." RtS (and of course these days whenever two or more figures are gathered together they have to be put into a bloody Excel spreadheet) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 06 Dec 00 - 06:28 AM It wasn't Disraeli and it wasn't Churchill said that.
It was Mark Twain. Another example of how a prophet has no honour in his own country.
I'd like to hear what he had to say about this whole business...
(I notice nobody's mentioned the fact that maybe one in ten black voters backed Bush, and that includes those living way out in the country, assuming they managed to succeed in registering their vote.) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Ringer Date: 06 Dec 00 - 05:46 AM I thought it was Churchill, not Disraeli, who made the crack about "Lies, damned lies and statistics". But I could be wrong... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: CarolC Date: 06 Dec 00 - 12:01 AM I'm watching Nightline right now. One of my son's high school teachers is on talking about the students' thoughts on this whole process/issue. My son's school is in the Silver Spring/Takoma Park, Md, area. Koppel just referred to it as "The Peoples' Republic of Tacoma Park". Gawd, I'm so glad my son lives there. Carol |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Troll Date: 05 Dec 00 - 08:07 PM Petr; I fired her. It's hard to find cheap reliable help these days. In fact, it's hard to find EXPENSIVE reliable help. John, I don't. Thats why they voted for Gore! troll *John, you gotta stop giving me these straight lines! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: John Hardly Date: 05 Dec 00 - 07:51 PM Most stunning stat I heard--and would like to know if any of you read it in USA Today--60% of Gore voters lack a high school education. I find that VERY hard to believe. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: GUEST,Petr Date: 05 Dec 00 - 04:26 PM hey troll wheres your spell checker hipocrasy? (president thread) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Wesley S Date: 05 Dec 00 - 04:00 PM Troll - Friends have sent me these figures already. And usually there is some "info" with it that says that it was only them thar city folk that voted for Gore and they are out of touch with whats going on in the "real America". Hogwash ! A vote is a vote. None of them should be more valuable than any other vote. I don't care where they come from. Here's another figure for you. Strom Thurmond turns 98 today. There's a good reason to vote for term limits if you ask me. Please let me know if I've misspelled anything. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Troll Date: 05 Dec 00 - 03:19 PM I really don't think they're supposed to MEAN anything, Wesley, they're just interesting statistics. Skeptic, I know you are a man who likes to think of himself as being on the creative cutting edge, but that creativity should NOT include spelling. PLEASE! Use your spell checker. Thank you. troll |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Wesley S Date: 05 Dec 00 - 03:04 PM I'm shocked that none of you have considered the ratio of outhouses vs indoor toilets in the counties won by Bush. That will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that all of these figures and ratios are full of S***. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Whistle Stop Date: 05 Dec 00 - 02:49 PM I think it just means that the Bush partisans have been sneaking across the county lines and murdering Gore supporters. Makes the whole dimpled chad thing seem kind of insignificant by comparison. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Troll Date: 05 Dec 00 - 02:29 PM Thank you Alex. You put your finger on the reason for the Electoral College. What's the difference between Al Gore and a puppy? After five weeks the puppy opens his eyes and quits whining. troll |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Jim Dixon Date: 05 Dec 00 - 02:17 PM I'd like to know how many cows live in the counties that voted for Bush. It might put an end to the "all hat and no cattle" joke. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: mousethief Date: 05 Dec 00 - 01:49 PM What about square miles of wetlands as a percentage of county area? I'm shocked this wasn't included in these statistics. the statistics show, after all the shouting is done, that rural people voted for bush and city dwellers voted for gore. Which we already knew. Alex |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Uncle_DaveO Date: 05 Dec 00 - 01:49 PM How many telephone poles in counties won by Bush versus Gore? A highly significant figure, fit to go with the premising statistics. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Skeptic Date: 05 Dec 00 - 01:44 PM Or the county population figues could indicate that (asuming a similar age distribution) a higher percentage of the potential voters who did vote were in counties that went for Gore. Does that make them better Americans? I wonder what the ratio of domestic live stock to voters was in the respective counties. Can we read something in to that?
Regards John There are lies, there are damned lies, and their are statistics. - Disreali |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: Uncle_DaveO Date: 05 Dec 00 - 01:33 PM States don't vote for president. Counties don't vote for president. Because counties don't vote for president, statistics of murders in counties are irrelevant. Square miles of land don't vote for president. Now, while the popular vote is not decisive under the Electoral College system, many people (not necessarily I) think it should be. Gore won the popular vote, which SEEMS in conflict with the population-in-counties figure above. All of which shows that "Figures don't lie, but liars can figure." |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: mousethief Date: 05 Dec 00 - 12:14 PM Yawn. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: GUEST Date: 05 Dec 00 - 11:44 AM So what's your point???? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Election statistics From: MMario Date: 05 Dec 00 - 11:11 AM the numbrs look about right for what was published in USA today. |
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Subject: Election statistics From: Midchuck Date: 05 Dec 00 - 11:02 AM This was e-mailed to me, and I haven't the foggiest notion how accurate or innacurate it is. But it makes sense in light of the rural/urban split between the candidates. Peter.
Counties won by Gore: 677
Population of counties won by Gore: 127 million
Square miles of country won by Gore: 580,000
States won by Gore: 19 Now Professor Joseph Olson of the Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul Minnesota has produced another interesting new statistic. Professor Olson looked up the crime statistics for all of these counties and came up with this:
Average Murder per 100,000 residents in counties won by Gore: 13.2
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