George Rebane
In the 23nov07 issue of The Union a Grass Valley reader takes exception to our governor’s “flagrant” misrepresentation of California’s growth under his administration. After some research on the web, she states that “In truth, California no longer ranks as sixth-largest. We have not had this status since 1999. We are currently ranked at eighth largest, according to the U. S. Commerce Department and World Bank figures. Clearly this does not indicate growth. It boggles my mind that the governor of California can stand before millions of people and make such a flagrantly false statement. Does no one care?”
Her boggled mind did not help her understand that California’s decline in the economy size rankings does not give her enough information to accuse the governor of lying. During the cited interval many world economies have been growing at prodigious rates. For example, if several countries below California’s former ranking grew at, say, 6-8% per annum and California only grew at 3% (not a bad growth rate), then California’s ranking could easily have fallen as indicated. So, for her to conclude that a drop in the rankings “clearly … does not indicate growth” does however clearly indicate that she is another member of this country’s innumerate hordes.
This letter illustrates that, as a source of information, even the magnificence of the internet is helpless against such ignorance. When the time comes, I don’t know how this boggled mind will vote, but it’s likely that she and her peers may wind up disappointed in the results from casting their ballots on such misinterpretations of political assertions based quantitative and logical arguments. All else given equal, these folks are the proverbial putty in the hands of sleaze-bag politicians.
Finally, that The Union allowed this correspondent to embarrass herself publicly is also a commentary on the acumen of that paper’s editorial staff. As the lady plaintively asks, “Does no one care?” Apparently not. But then again, given the audience, maybe no actual embarrassment was suffered on this 42nd anniversary of the Great Society.
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