OT: Polls and opinions

DannyinJapan

DannyinJapan

Joined
Oct 9, 2003
Messages
5,594
I do not like the idea of polls, especially when newspapers use them to further their own political agendas.
I havent changed my opinuion on the war and I dont know anybody who has..
So, how is it possible that more than half (54%) of all Americans suddenly are against the war in iraq?

Let me guess, they polled people coming out of the michael moore film ?
 
I was called for one of thems poll companies by phone once. The questions they ask can be skewed to show bias by limiting the multiple choice answers to only one side of the argument.

It was interesting to hear the questions and answers they allowed you to choose.
 
I do not like the idea of polls

Polls are just another tool. They are not news, nor are they particularly meaningful without alot of in depth analysis. Our news service does a great disservice by filling up their time slot with an endless number of ill described polls. At best they will simply capture a regurgitation of the day's leading news stories. Just ignore them, it is all meaningless rethoric disguised as information.

n2s
 
I answered one last night, regarding the current battle over prescrption drug purchases from sources outside the U.S. With the wife slowly building an Alzheimers Cocktail, it was interesting. Several questions were presented, then turned, then blended. In the end, drugs purchased through Canada (in the "opinion" they manufactured for me) are not subject to any standards, manufactured in small huts in ninth-world countries, and bear no resemblence to those available here in the U.S. Regardless of the fact that they are imported from the same sources, because it is too expensive to manufacture them here due to the high cost of labor. I asked the interviewer who was sponsoring the poll. She dodged like a pro. There was one open question - "Why are prescription drug prices so much higher in the U.S. than in other countries". I was fed up, by then, and told her that drugs in the U.S. are controlled by two different factions - the medical/pharmceutical industries, and the Mafia. One controls the "legal" flow, and the other has the recreational area. They both exist by paying off the same damned politicians, and one is no cleaner than the other. Surprisingly, she wrote that down. I'll probably get a visit from "Dr. Vito", now, instead of a drive-by with Muggsy and da boys.
 
I've often wondered why the people who sponsor the polls think that the people who answer the questions are telling the truth.
 
Aardvark said:
I've often wondered why the people who sponsor the polls think that the people who answer the questions are telling the truth.
Click to expand...
A very good point, Aardvark! :D
 
Having worked as a telemarketer (yep I was that evil bastard who called you up during dinner time making chit-chat about last years season in the Guthrie theatre, and then suddenly switching and asking you to contribute to the years annual fund :eek: :( :barf: ) I suppose everyone has to eat. :rolleyes: Anyways, always had about a 5% rate of people actually answering their phones, and of that 5% maybe only 1-2% who would actually talk to me after I introduced myself (let alone help me make quota by contributing to the Guthrie's annual fund). With those kind of answer rates, I would not even begin to imagine how good a sampling of actual Guthrie patrons we were truly talking to. So what has always bugged me about polls, is what makes these survey people much more accurate, considering they are cold calling. The US census, which takes a much wider variety of methods to sample and speak with people, has often huge errors, so why does some phone poll suddenly only have a 1-2% error rate? Says who.
 
Over on the High Road, they've got a poll going that asks what's the smallest gun you'd trust.

Out of umpteen answers, mine was the second to list the 32 auto out of a normal length barrel ( not the Tomcat ). That's because I noted of 21 people shot by the Zebra killers with a 32, 4 survived. The other 17 died, only one briefly ( an 81 year old man ) fighting back before he collapsed. Trust the 32? Not really, but hard to argue with those stats.

I also have a couple Bererra 950BS's in 25 auto. I already have two extra magazines for them and plan on getting two more. That will make 3 mags each. The loads I choose will enter the skull without bouncing off. Why 25's? I can get one with 2 spare loaded magazines into the carrying case for my glucometer, is why. Or into a hollowed out paperback. That's 24 rounds. Anyone want to argue with 24 pellets of #4 buck? The 25 is a nose gun anyway. But it is smaller than an effective fixed blade.

Now back to your regularly scheduled knife content.
 
I don't believe that asking 1000 people a question somehow translates to a similar response from 300 million people.

Rusty- I'm with you. I love 45s, but a 25 in your pocket is better than the 45 at home in your safe, if you know what I mean. I used to carry a Colt Jr 25 auto. I never had to use it defensively, but practicing with it was so cheap that I was very accurate with it.
 
1 - KelTec P32 usually inside my T-shirt pocket (Yup...it's that small and light while still, as Rusty said, will penetrate a skull)

2 - I *always* lie to poll takers. As an aside, in a hobby I learned from my Dad, I take the spam mail that is delivered to the house, mismatch the ads and then return them to others. I especially like to send the life planning seminars stuff to insurance companies and vice versa.

ps: Ferrous - If you have wood or glass or such between you and your target, you are in a different role and should have selected a tool better suited to the job...it's not a primary weapon after all.
 
FWIW: My carry is a S&W pre-sellout M38 Bodyguard with standard pressure 38 special. My backup gun is 13+1 rounds of 380 ball until I can get Hornady XTP hollow points. My reasoning is that among other things I wear hearing aids and am legally blind without my glasses and thus may not notice the danger til I'm down on the ground. If I'm half-conscious 200 ft.lbs. muzzle energy per shot is less likely to kick out of my hand ( had that happen once at the Nevada IMSA state championships - was shooting a 35 Remington Contender using a Creedmore prone - and actually grabbed it by the barrel just behind the front sight as it flew over my shoulder really truly!!! ).

Now back to your regularly scheduled broadcast.
 
Nasty,

I like the Kel-Tec .32 also. Much lighter than my Pocket Model M but, not as accurate as that 72 year old gun :)

I only lie to the ones (poll takers) that I want to screw with. Important ones that I want to get the point, and Important ones that determine the music on the radio I always tell the truth too.
 
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