Healthcare reform

[Texsox]

You'll get money from people who try to influence you.

 

Right. So is it better to get money from causes you naturally support or ones you naturally oppose?

[lostfan]

Right. So is it better to get money from causes you naturally support or ones you naturally oppose?

Irrelevant. That doesn't have anything to do with who gets money

[Cknolls]

But if a majority of your constituents are for something and you're against it because you or your spouse will benefit from the status quo then I have a problem with that.

 

 

And you are assuming that was a legit poll. Polls can say what you want them to say.

[bmags]

And you are assuming that was a legit poll. Polls can say what you want them to say.

 

Only if you are incapable of understanding neutral poll questions and are too lazy to read the language/results of the poll.

[Y2HH]

Only if you are incapable of understanding neutral poll questions and are too lazy to read the language/results of the poll.

 

Have you ever seen the people who take polls or the people who answer them?! I have to say, I haven't.

 

I'll be honest, I have NEVER once been polled for ANYTHING, but I see polls all the time that were supposedly "taken in my area". Not only that, but I don't know anyone else that has taken these polls "in my area", who just happen to also live "in my area", and they don't know anyone either.

 

I'll venture to say most of you have never been polled, either. So who exactly are these people who are being "polled"?! I hate polls, I hate when people cite polls, on either side of the bulls*** separation fence (that's the fence that seperates democrats from republicans), because anyone on either side of it are full of it.

Edited October 30, 2009 by Y2HH

[Texsox]

Have you ever seen the people who take polls or the people who answer them?! I have to say, I haven't.

 

I'll be honest, I have NEVER once been polled for ANYTHING, but I see polls all the time that were supposedly "taken in my area". Not only that, but I don't know anyone else that has taken these polls "in my area", who just happen to also live "in my area", and they don't know anyone either.

 

I'll venture to say most of you have never been polled, either. So who exactly are these people who are being "polled"?! I hate polls, I hate when people cite polls, on either side of the bulls*** separation fence (that's the fence that seperates democrats from republicans), because anyone on either side of it are full of it.

 

There are also those people that like to just f*** with the pollsters.

[BigSqwert]

I hate polls

Careful there buddy. I'm half Polish.

[lostfan]

I've never seen anyone be murdered. Therefore, the existence of murder is questionable.

[Y2HH]

Careful there buddy. I'm half Polish.

 

I see what you did thar.

[Y2HH]

There are also those people that like to just f*** with the pollsters.

 

You know, it's funny you mentioned this because it's something I didn't even consider. I guess I don't quite understand why a person would waste their time lying about something...it's time you will never get back for something most people don't care about.

[Texsox]

You know, it's funny you mentioned this because it's something I didn't even consider. I guess I don't quite understand why a person would waste their time lying about something...it's time you will never get back for something most people don't care about.

 

When you get the phone call you will understand why it is so tempting to lie.

[bmags]

we just came off an election where Nate Silver used polls to nail, almost to a tee, what the election would look like. This argument is ridiculously stupid. Anyone that took a basic level stats class can learn to understand an effective poll.

[Texsox]

we just came off an election where Nate Silver used polls to nail, almost to a tee, what the election would look like. This argument is ridiculously stupid. Anyone that took a basic level stats class can learn to understand an effective poll.

 

Agreed.And you also learn how to write the poll questions to affect the results.

[Y2HH]

we just came off an election where Nate Silver used polls to nail, almost to a tee, what the election would look like. This argument is ridiculously stupid. Anyone that took a basic level stats class can learn to understand an effective poll.

 

So what you are saying is that there ARE legit polls.

 

Um, I think we all know that.

 

But there are just as many, if not more, skewed and illegitimate polls, which is our point.

 

Just because I'm not lying this time, doesn't mean I don't lie sometimes.

[Texsox]

we just came off an election where Nate Silver used polls to nail, almost to a tee, what the election would look like. This argument is ridiculously stupid. Anyone that took a basic level stats class can learn to understand an effective poll.

 

The assumption here is they are meant to be unbiased, effective polls. The people funding these polls generally have an agenda. There are not too many organizations willing to fund a poll that is just wondering, in an unbiased way, about something.

[BigSqwert]

The assumption here is they are meant to be unbiased, effective polls. The people funding these polls generally have an agenda. There are not too many organizations willing to fund a poll that is just wondering, in an unbiased way, about something.

How often are these small time polls reported in our message boards? Rarely if ever.

[Balta1701]

The assumption here is they are meant to be unbiased, effective polls. The people funding these polls generally have an agenda. There are not too many organizations willing to fund a poll that is just wondering, in an unbiased way, about something.

Which is why you should be skeptical of any poll that doesn't publish their methodology, the questions they asked, the wording they used, and the order in which the questions were asked.

 

You're wrong though, there's lots of orgs willing to fund unbiased polls because if the unbiased poll results come down on their side it's much more meaningful and useful.

[Y2HH]

Which is why you should be skeptical of any poll that doesn't publish their methodology, the questions they asked, the wording they used, and the order in which the questions were asked.

 

You're wrong though, there's lots of orgs willing to fund unbiased polls because if the unbiased poll results come down on their side it's much more meaningful and useful.

 

And if they don't end up supporting their cause, they simply never publish it, which is just as underhanded.

[lostfan]

It really isn't very hard to tell what a poll is saying or what its angle is. Really, it isn't. Anyone who follows politics can tell and the questions asked are always there to make judgments from. Saying otherwise is just doubting for the sake of doubt.

[Y2HH]

It really isn't very hard to tell what a poll is saying or what its angle is. Really, it isn't. Anyone who follows politics can tell and the questions asked are always there to make judgments from. Saying otherwise is just doubting for the sake of doubt.

 

Anyone that follows politics realizes that these people are, for lack of better words, professional liars for a living.

[lostfan]

Anyone that follows politics realizes that these people are, for lack of better words, professional liars for a living.

Politicians don't run polls except internally for campaigning purposes. And in those cases it's not in their interest to lie because they're lying only to themselves, and won't have accurate information to help them decide how to run their campaign, which would be pretty stupid.

[Balta1701]

Speaking from personal experience in 2004, its really easy to convince yourself that polling data is obviously skewed if it doesn't perfectly agree with your personal opinions as well.

[Y2HH]

Politicians don't run polls except internally for campaigning purposes. And in those cases it's not in their interest to lie because they're lying only to themselves, and won't have accurate information to help them decide how to run their campaign, which would be pretty stupid.

 

You see...you're a politician at heart.

[lostfan]

You see...you're a politician at heart.

If all politicians considered reality the same way I did then we'd be good to go.

[Texsox]

Which is why you should be skeptical of any poll that doesn't publish their methodology, the questions they asked, the wording they used, and the order in which the questions were asked.

 

You're wrong though, there's lots of orgs willing to fund unbiased polls because if the unbiased poll results come down on their side it's much more meaningful and useful.

 

 

And if they don't end up supporting their cause, they simply never publish it, which is just as underhanded.

 

yep