Someone recently sent me something from a social media site that was amusing. It was purported to be a "Poll."
The funny thing about polls is that depending upon how they are administered and depending upon how they are worded-- they can be used to push the respondent one way or another, depending upon what the pollster's actual desired outcome is. It is called a Push Poll. They are used frequently in politics.
Once administered just the way the pollster wants it he/she can then proudly exclaim "See, look at these numbers!" This obviously means "X!" (which oftentimes also, conveniently, aligns with what the "pollster" wants.....)
The audience sampled is also key.
I served on the school board for a long time, before that I spent some time teaching at the 2nd and 3rd grade level. I coached youth sports and raised three children, so I spent some time in schools around students. I know how kids think.
So Imagine if I conducted this sort of a poll at the lunchroom full of elementary school students:
"Attention students, which would you prefer to eat today?"
A. Baked Spanish Mackerel with Yellow Squash
or
B. Strawberry Shortcake
Of course we know what that answer would be.
But the value of the conclusions drawn are distorted. Although I personally don't like Mackerel ( I use it as bait for Striped Marlin when I go deep sea fishing in Cabo ) --there are many people that love Mackerel.
If I asked the very same question above of a group of 30-something low-carb fitness fanatics--would the results be the same as the results from the elementary school students?
(Answer: of course not)
5 comments:
Plus it you do it on JUECW and disagree they will ostracize you..form a sub group add Underhill and his wife to call you names and cut you down..(like it matters)
Commissioner Bergosh,
I voted for you this past election because I knew you where the man for the job. You had leadership that I wanted to see on the county board. Well after all the attack you make on your blogs that is not the man I voted for! And the way you handle chairman position and the way you speak to people is very terrible. I think instead of you opening your meeting with prayer you should have them pray for you cause you need it to see your lost ways
Anonymous 7:34. Thank you for voting for me in the last election, I sincerely appreciate that. However, I happen to disagree with your assessment of my leadership, specifically as it relates to the way I run meetings and the way I chair the board. I treat people respectfully, I do not attack individuals for having opinions that differ from my own opinions, and I certainly do not call people disparaging names. We have prayers before our meeting, and I pray often outside of the meetings. Nobody is perfect, not you, not me--but I will always strive to do the best I can in any job I hold, to include this one. But understand this: A part of this is having the intestinal fortitude to vote for what is right even when it may be unpopular to a few (juxtaposed with the MANY county-wide). If I try to be all things to all people and am nothing but a human wind sock, believe me in the long game this helps nobody and to do so would actually be sefish and self-serving. Think about that one for a while.
I voted for you in the past, too. I appreciate your leadership and straight talk. Anyone who claims they won't vote for you is simply a special interest minority opinion. I have lived in Beulah since the 1970s and I hate how it' has grown, but growth is inevitable. In my lifetime, our nation has more than doubled in population and those new people have to live somewhere. If I had my druthers, I'd rather have Navy Federal and any other business at a commerce park and get rid of all the postage stamp cheap homes that have sprung up in Beulah.
Your haters live in these horrible small lot subdivisions with an 8th of an acre lot and now don't want anyone else out here. They are NIMBYs. Me, too. I wish my drive to my home with several acres in Beulah was not slowed by these newcomers in my way, but they have a right to use their property as they wish. I find it funny how now they want Beulah not to change, grow or have more traffic, yet they are the cause of my Beulah's demise.
So, change happens and we need engaged smart politicians to manage this. Keep pushing forward. The CC is no place to make friends. Just ask D2 who was reelected by 212 votes, which is a very close margin. I know you won your past elections by large margins, which I predict will continue. So keep pushing forward.
Interesting and insightful. I know that I voted for you on the shool bored back when you first ran. I almost missed the second election because my son had a big dodgeball event. He lost, not because wasn't strong, but he got sick that day and couldn't play as good. But I told him, "Son, you need to get back in healthy so you can get in the game, but he chickened out after a few shots." He let his entire team down. He didn't think he was good enough to play! But I told him once he feels better, he can play again and will be a champ, against that other team. It wasn't a good time for us, and I got to the polls late. I am glad I had my new glasses to wear, because that print was small!
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