tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post5591823686110398087..comments2024-03-22T06:05:36.544-04:00Comments on Kids Prefer Cheese: Spectacular: Lake Wobegonomics Research from the New SchoolMungowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340064320347875601noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-52546000304209724782013-07-25T05:51:39.070-04:002013-07-25T05:51:39.070-04:00"Here's the thing: in any group of states..."Here's the thing: in any group of states, unless they are all identical, won't it be true that some are richer than others? If you have a purely relative measure of poverty, then it will always be true that half the states are poor, because they are below median income." Did the writer say that they were using such a crazy measure of poverty? I don't think any serious discussion of poverty uses such a definition. Poverty has to have a relative component, as Adam Smith observed, but it is more like "cannot afford the things considered basic in the society" and not "in the bottom 10% of income" or something like that. Bensonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-78965354764237101662013-07-15T22:37:39.597-04:002013-07-15T22:37:39.597-04:00Re: Dave "The largest paper in Utah once ran ...Re: Dave "The largest paper in Utah once ran this breaking headline: 'Half of Utah Babies Below Average Birth Weight.' I believe the concept of average is no longer taught in school."<br /><br />It depends on your definition of average. Is average a single value (it can be) or is it a range of values (it can be)? Clinically (meaning in medical and related fields), average is often given as a range (typically within 1 standard deviation of the mean of a distribution). Thus, for example, let's say the mean (average) weight of a baby at 7.5 lbs (average, at least in 1996, was actually 7.44 lbs). Let's also say the standard deviation of weights is 1 lb. Using typical "average" clinical cut-off scores, this puts 68% of babies between the weights of 6.5 and 8.5 lbs. at birth (again, those weights are made up).<br /><br />So 68% are "average" weight. This means that you'd only expect 16% of babies to be below average weight (and 16% above average) so to have 50% below average is at least noteworthy and potentially concerning.<br /><br />As another example, look at IQ scores. An average score is 100 but with a standard deviation of 10, scores between 90 and 110 are labelled as "average". So 68% of the population have average intelligence with 16% below average and 16% above average.<br /><br />For that article you referenced, I'm not sure if they actually used average like this but I'm assuming that the research or statistics cited used a clinical definition of average.<br /><br />In any case, Utah has lower rates of low birth weight than the country on average so I'd be interested in your source of that article.Frednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-51002046852613894332013-07-15T19:06:20.851-04:002013-07-15T19:06:20.851-04:00Best comment I've seen anywhere all day. Well ...Best comment I've seen anywhere all day. Well done, well done.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-15271934508364051872013-07-15T15:00:18.824-04:002013-07-15T15:00:18.824-04:00The largest paper in Utah once ran this breaking h...The largest paper in Utah once ran this breaking headline: "Half of Utah Babies Below Average Birth Weight". I believe the concept of average is no longer taught in school.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17396910988666392548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-17868610783650263712013-07-15T14:28:44.013-04:002013-07-15T14:28:44.013-04:00Wait...57 states minus 39th richest...
Is my math...Wait...57 states minus 39th richest...<br /><br />Is my math wrong?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-62588043158722900262013-07-15T10:30:53.898-04:002013-07-15T10:30:53.898-04:00She reminds me of that fraud Robert Reich, a "...She reminds me of that fraud Robert Reich, a "political economist", i.e. a polemicist who has excused himself from empiricism.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18015219452269186971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-1923167215183006312013-07-15T09:47:26.873-04:002013-07-15T09:47:26.873-04:00if you're 39th, then there are 19 below you.if you're 39th, then there are <a href="http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/57states.asp" rel="nofollow">19 below you</a>.Jim Huhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14144904929556201074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-75294442357177605832013-07-15T09:09:14.909-04:002013-07-15T09:09:14.909-04:00Uh, oh. Bad math and weak on the facts...
"...Uh, oh. Bad math <b>and</b> weak on the facts...<br /><br />"Six months ago, I visited North Carolina's state treasurer, Janet Cowell – the only Democrat in the administration now...'<br /><br />The Superintendent of Public Instruction is June Atkinson, a Democrat.<br />Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08574355302581451838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-29814127088339932912013-07-15T08:52:56.477-04:002013-07-15T08:52:56.477-04:00Thanks to Kevin Erdmann for two words of comedic g...Thanks to Kevin Erdmann for two words of comedic gold... "mathematics notwithstanding". <br /><br />Pesky math.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08574355302581451838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-56139212239618430672013-07-15T00:34:37.703-04:002013-07-15T00:34:37.703-04:00Well, to give her credit, in the last paragraph, s...Well, to give her credit, in the last paragraph, she mentions that West Virginia is great for poor people because they raised taxes to pump up public employee retirement benefits. I mean, if there is one thing the poor have been clamoring for, this is it.<br /><br />And California is great for poor people because they have the good sense to propose taking 15.5% of poor folk's income instead of the 12.5% everyone else takes, to give back at the state's discretion, because, let's face it, who's going to trust THEM to do something useful with it. I mean, nobody has more sympathy and love for the poor than Teresa and I, but, come on. I mean, the less discretion they have with their own money, the better. 'm I right?<br /><br />These are standard pieces of the revolution, going back to well before Marx. She's on very firm ground here, mathematics notwithstanding.Kevin Erdmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07431566729667544886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-3628176837946176282013-07-14T21:29:29.900-04:002013-07-14T21:29:29.900-04:00Mungowitz is clearly Old SchoolMungowitz is clearly Old SchoolGerardonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-4096097136624031182013-07-14T19:46:33.753-04:002013-07-14T19:46:33.753-04:00I was under the impression there would be no math....I was under the impression there would be no math.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-89501645144104315722013-07-14T18:09:00.214-04:002013-07-14T18:09:00.214-04:00Jane Fonda on the screen today
Convinced the Liber...<a href="http://youtu.be/IWO4JxM3nDc?t=22s" rel="nofollow">Jane Fonda on the screen today<br />Convinced the Liberals it's ok.</a><br />Simon Sperohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15956746824178743667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7464708.post-29873540516240930012013-07-14T13:12:12.219-04:002013-07-14T13:12:12.219-04:00Oh, she is a government union organizer! I thought...Oh, she is a government union organizer! I thought she was a real economist. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com