>> [Platt] >> >According to a study by the Swedish Institute of Trade, >> > the "median household income in Sweden at the end of the 1990s was >> > equivalent >> > to $26,800 compared with a median of $39,400 for U.S. households." The >> > study >> > concluded: average income in Sweden is less than the average income for >> > black >> > Americans which comprise the lowest income group in the U.S. >> >> This could to someone who just glance at it seem like really something. >> But >> unfortunately I know the nature of statistic, and this is yet again a >> great >> example of nothingness. First of all, "Black Americans are bunched up >> together as one homogeny group. As pointed out before, there is a great >> deal >> of difference between Oprah and a black worker in the ghetto. And >> Median: >> >> Wiki: >> "In probability theory and statistics, a median is described as the >> number >> separating the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability >> distribution, from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers >> can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to >> highest >> value and picking the middle one. If there is an even number of >> observations, the median is not unique, so one often takes the mean of >> the >> two middle values. >> >> Example: X,Y,Z median= Y Example: W,X,Y,Z median = mean(X, Y) = (X+Y)/2" >> >> So you see it doesn't really say anything about this particular issue. >> And >> this is a measure of income, only. This doesn't take into account the >> expenses. I mean, since we get h whole lot of more stuff paid for us - >> Public healthcare, schools, education and social welfare - this isn't >> taken >> into account. Purely economically speaking the US is a stronger economy, >> that has more of both super-rich people and super-poor people. So, this >> statistic doesn't really say anything about the Quality of life within >> each >> state. And that is the important thing.
[Platt] > OK. I hope you will so inform the Swedish Institute of Trade. But you > realize > I hope that all those goodies paid to you come out of your pocket, or > forced > out of someone else's pocket. Your taxes aren't voluntary are they? Uhm. Yes. The sky is blue. Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
