Why statistics and polls are meaningless
Leaving aside the habitual manipulation of them by agencies with a built-in agenda, selection bias, and questions worded very carefully to guarantee the desired conclusions are supported, there’s also this sort of thing:
“One of every 50 American children experiences homelessness, according to a new report that says most states have inadequate plans to address the worsening and often-overlooked problem,” the Associated Press reports from New York…
Horrible if true. But is it true? Not so much. Believe it or not, it turns out that the majority of “homeless” children live in homes.
Seriously! The AP link above includes a graphic that breaks down the “living conditions of homeless children.” Fifty-six percent of them are “doubled-up,” defined as “sharing housing with other persons due to economic hardship.” By this definition, the Meathead on “All in the Family” was “homeless.”
Another 7% are listed as living in hotels–a category that, in the report itself, also includes motels, trailer parks and camping grounds. We’ll give them campgrounds, but when you think of the homeless, are residents of hotels and trailer parks what come to mind?
Is there more? You betcher. Can’t get much in the way of meaningful data when the very definition of the problem is so dishonest and manipulative. When words can mean anything, they end up meaning nothing. Jeff Goldstein, they’re playing your song, buddy.
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