Finally... a Conservative Unitarian Universalist Member Blogging As You Asked! After so many years of singing around the campfire, the call has been answered!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Guess the most corrupt state in the union
No, it's not Illinois- it's North Dakota! See where your state rates!
More evidence of Joel Monka's simplistic "reasoning". . .
More evidence that there are lies, damned lies, and statistics. . .
The map, and related statistics, are based on *convictions* for public corruption as a percentage of the population of each state. So North Dakota "wins" the dubious distinction of being "the most corrupt state in the Union" because *per capita* it has the highest number of convictions for public corruption, a whopping 53 convictions for 639,715 North Dakotans. It doesn't occur to Joel that in *reality* these statistics might actually make it one of the *least* corrupt states in the Union because a) there were only 53 convictions (*as compared to 502 for Illinois. . .) and b) it actually has the highest number of *convictions* per capita. It doesn't occur to Joel that "the most corrupt state in the Union" might actually have a very low per capita conviction rate precisely because it is the most *corrupt* state. . . If Joel really wants to know what the most corrupt state in the Union is he should look for states with high populations and comparatively low *per capita* conviction rates. Like Illinois for instance. . .
To begin with, it isn't my "simplistic reasoning"; I was introducing the article, whose author makes that argument. Secondly, what you say "didn't occur to me", the article itself states: "Corruption may run more rampant in some states but go undetected." The only thing that didn't occur to me was the neccessity to restate what the article I linked to said. geeze, Robin, why the hostility- did you loose a bet or something?
There is no "hostility" in my pointing out your simplistic "reasoning" here. I base my judgment of your blog posts on what you say, not what articles you link to may say. . .
You said, "Guess the most corrupt state in the union"
You said, "No, it's not Illinois- it's North Dakota!"
Complete with exclamation mark!
So do you see where your state rates Joel? As in the state of your remarkably simplistic statements in this blog post?
4 comments:
More evidence of Joel Monka's simplistic "reasoning". . .
More evidence that there are lies, damned lies, and statistics. . .
The map, and related statistics, are based on *convictions* for public corruption as a percentage of the population of each state. So North Dakota "wins" the dubious distinction of being "the most corrupt state in the Union" because *per capita* it has the highest number of convictions for public corruption, a whopping 53 convictions for 639,715 North Dakotans. It doesn't occur to Joel that in *reality* these statistics might actually make it one of the *least* corrupt states in the Union because a) there were only 53 convictions (*as compared to 502 for Illinois. . .) and b) it actually has the highest number of *convictions* per capita. It doesn't occur to Joel that "the most corrupt state in the Union" might actually have a very low per capita conviction rate precisely because it is the most *corrupt* state. . . If Joel really wants to know what the most corrupt state in the Union is he should look for states with high populations and comparatively low *per capita* conviction rates. Like Illinois for instance. . .
To begin with, it isn't my "simplistic reasoning"; I was introducing the article, whose author makes that argument. Secondly, what you say "didn't occur to me", the article itself states: "Corruption may run more rampant in some states but go undetected." The only thing that didn't occur to me was the neccessity to restate what the article I linked to said. geeze, Robin, why the hostility- did you loose a bet or something?
Actually I think that I may well have won a "bet" or two today Joel. . . It has been quite the serendipitous day.
There is no "hostility" in my pointing out your simplistic "reasoning" here. I base my judgment of your blog posts on what you say, not what articles you link to may say. . .
You said, "Guess the most corrupt state in the union"
You said, "No, it's not Illinois- it's North Dakota!"
Complete with exclamation mark!
So do you see where your state rates Joel? As in the state of your remarkably simplistic statements in this blog post?
whatever.
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