Irony Central - Politics

Politics Letters

11/20/01

A long and highly amusing ramble on applied political theory. Just the sort of thing we like to get at the Scorched Earth Party. Plus, it contains the phrase "masturbating to Body Shaping".

RE: Voting, Why it Sucks & More Reality TV

09/04/01

Re: Voting Sucks article

This rant seems very logically thought out by an obviously intelligent person. This person has thought long and hard about the problem and has rationalised their solution in many ways. Under the conditions specified by themseves this person has created the most brilliant theory ever to grace mankind... under the conditions specified. What this brilliant mind fails to realise is that while a whopping 40% of the population may turn out to vote, this 40% is not statistically representative in the slightest. To gain an accurate statistical sample the group must be selected randomly. While this is specified in the model supplied in the rant it is not taken into account when claiming that the current system is perfectly adequate. The fact is that the 40% of people voting in U.S. elections are of certain groups within society. Groups such as the elderly, who just have nothing better to be doing. Groups such as the intelligencia who seek to maintain a hold on government and are capable of understanding the issues at hand. Groups such as the lazy (most of the U.S. workforce it seems) simply prefer to "stuff thier pie holes" as it were.

Babau

In the statistics biz, this is called a "self-selecting" sample, and is thus not generally assumed to be a valid and random study.

And yet, I think it is safe to say that the error in any given election is small (%1-2, although nobody really has an idea). And, let's be frank, in the vast majority of elections, this is more than close enough to count.

And I am more than willing to take a little inaccuracy if it means less people voting. I mean, have you SEEN those people?

-Jeff Vogel

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