The Poll That Matters - First Tuesday in November

Next Tuesday, the first Tuesday in November, all the drama, all the speculation on who will control the Senate for the next two years will be settled. All the polling done by this entity, or that one, will finally be put to rest.

Maybe.

The powers that be in the media are now reporting that run-offs will be forthcoming in all the toss-up states. Here is a news bulletin for the left-wing propagandists, who are trying to spin the election their way with wishful thinking: The poll that matters is the one on Election Day.

I wrote the following commentary on April 21 and I still believe in the integrity of polls. But I have no faith in those, left or right, who want to spin the numbers to tell their biased story.

Election Day is the poll that matters. Thank God it will finally shut all the “not so Intellegencia” up. In the end, all that matters is that the PEOPLE have spoken. Case Closed.

Enjoy “The Poll on Polls”.

 

The Poll on Polls

April 21, 2014

Here is a surprise. Well, not really. Reason/Rupe did a poll and found that 62% of all Americans favor a flat tax, most of whom feel that 15% would be a fair assessment. In addition, 67% feel that private enterprise, not government, should be the way to go to resolve income inequality.

The Reason/Rupe poll is attached for your review.

Here is the thing about polls. As much as anyone, if the results of the poll discussed counters my agenda or the result is contrary to my wish, I don't want to put creedence in the outcome. For example, if the XYZ POLL showed President Obama at a 57% approval rate on the economy, I would not want to believe the result.

 But here is the thing about polls: While a small sampling of people are used to question about a subject, say 1,000 voters, mathematically the results are fairly accurate, within a plus or minus margin of error of 3%. Since the 1930s, when George Gallup took the first one, the calculations have become better and the outcomes more accurate.

In addition, many news organizations have joined assets and work together to make certain the poll is more fair, as well. For example, ABC News, a liberal organization and the Wall Street Journal, a more conservative newspaper, is a common poll whose results are well-respected by just about anyone who looks at the poll or reports the results. Another well-respected poll is the one done by Quinnipiac University.  

So you understand how this particular poll is conducted, I have provided the logic and procedures for the methodology used. It actually is quite fascinating.

This poll began in 2011 when the forces of Reason Foundation and the Arthur N Rupe Foundation came together to explore what Americans really think about government and other major issues.

The bottom line is that polling has become a necessity in today's society for all of us to get a pulse on what others think about important issues, if only to validate our own opinions.

I know that the only poll that matters is the one taken on Primary Day or  Election Day. But not all polls are about candidates, right? Issues of the day probably in the long run, matter more. It is the issues which influence our feelings about a candidate, how he or she measures up to our own values. 

And while this is a rhetorical question, how did the poll discussed in the first paragraph measure up to your own opinions? I have discussed the flat tax before, so you know I believe this would be the fairest way to go.

If you are lucky enough to someday take part in a poll, remember that the rest of us are counting on you. No pun intended.