Lies, Damn Lies, Statistics
So, I'm driving home from a gig, I've got that feeling of release,
the tension if over, oh yeaaaaaaahhhhhhh, life if good. I turn on
the radio. What a dufess, I am. I should have put on music.
But noooooooo, I had to put on talk radio, in this case "Money Talk"
with Bob Brinker. I usually like the show, even though it reminds me
of how financially inept I am.
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SIDEBAR:
a lyric from Bendik's "Proceed".
"Son when you're ready, you can tell what the birds sing.
Birds are as good as pure.
When you don't use words, lies won't occur.
Son when you're ready, you can tell what the birds sing."
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Well, Bob was using words. He's was echoing the same old meaningless
phrase I keep hearing so frequently these days. It's so insulting to
my intelligence. I'm sure you feel the same.
"The top 1 percent of the country pays 30% of the taxes".
(Or whatever number, I keep hearing different numbers)
And of course all thinking people are thinking,
"Yeah?...
And?...
Finish the scenario so that it has any meaning at all.
Even the chimpanzees know that, so far, you're comparing
apples and bananas."
Yep, that's what we're thinking. I actually start yelling at the
radio. Yes, I'm that guy with his arms flailing who seems to be
screaming to himself.
"Solve for X, Bob." I yell. "Solve for X!!!!"
What percent of the total taxable income do the top 1% make?
Until you tell us that "X factor", we have no way of knowing if
the 30% part the rich group pays is fair or unfair. Jeez, Bob,
you know that. You are brilliant and you must know you are
echoing the completely meaningless stat.
"Lies,
Damn Lies,
Statistics"
I don't know who said it, but what a bulleye.
And the "Top 1%..." echo machine is a prime example.
Until they tell us what part of the total earning pie
the richest 1% make, it's meaningless.
(Hint: it's more than 1%)
Let me bore you with two examples.
Ex.1
If out of 100 people, 99 earn $50,000 (in my dreams) and
the top 1 percent guy earns $5,000,000, then the top 1 percent
earns slighty more than 50% of the total
5,000,000
4,950,000 (50,000 x 99)
If that's the case, then 30% is a super good deal for the rich guy.
(yeah, it's a guy and he'll be out-sourcing your job asap.)
Ex.2
If out of 100 people, 99 earn $50,000 (again I dream) and
the top 1 percent guy earns $500,000, then the top 1 percent
earns less than 10% of the total
500,000
4,950,000 (50,000 x 99)
----------
5,450,000
In this case the 30% represents excessive taxes on the rich guy.
(Somebody find this guy some tax shelters, pronto!!)
So it really depends on HOW RICH the top 1% really are.
Of the two examples, which seems more likely?
I'm not saying there anything wrong with being rich but
why don't they tell us the important information. Just
give us some meaningful facts not some smokescreen jive.
Do you think Bob Brinker doesn't know that he's echoing
the meanless "apples and bananas"? I think he knows, he's
a very sharp cookie. There is no valid "30 to 1" ratio
which seems to be implied in the echoing phrase
"The top 1 percent of the country pays 30% of the taxes"
But I guess if you keeping saying something,...anything,
eventually people will start echoing the anything.
Even if it means nothing.
If you go to a statistics class armed with this "non-logic"
you'll flunk. In a math class, I think they might just throw
you out a window so as to hear you "crunch numbers" on impact.
...
So, if I hadn't expended to much energy with this rant, I
might have already solved for 'X' myself. But I'm too tired now.
Let's let one of the young readers of list do the heavy lifting.
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to find out
what percent of the nation's total taxable income the
richest 1% earn. Then report back to this email list
with your findings. [If you are captured, we will disavow.....]
Then a real debate on whether the rich are overtaxed can begin.
But it really DOES makes me wonder, "why don't they tell me
the important information? Why are they leaving that out?
Why are they trying to mislead me with the '30 to 1' mantra?"
Well until then, the chimps are requesting the bananas,
so I guess you can have the apples if you want.
P.S.
[The next day, after a hearty meal, my strength returns]
My research, consisting of googling "wealth distribution USA",
led to the following AARP page.
http://research.aarp.org/econ/dd44_wealth.html
It contains the following salient factoid:
"Kennickell has shown that, between 1992 and 1995, the
net worth of the top 10 percent of wealth holders increased
from 67 percent of total net worth to 67.8 percent. However,
the top one percent went from 30.1 percent of total net
worth to 34.7 percent"
Kennickell writes books with lots of number in them, the
AARP web page author is commenting on how the "very very rich"
are getting richer even faster than the "very rich" are
getting richer. (But apparently still not rich enough)
Of course the numbers show that the poorest group DECREASED
3.8 percent during the same time period, go look for yourself.
If this is true then all of those who chant the mantra
"The top 1 percent of the country pays 30% of the taxes"
are actually revealing how the rich ARE NOT paying their
fair share (34.7 percent as of 1995, certainly more now).
Wouldn't 34.7 percent be the number that matters here?
I know that income and wealth aren't exactly the same
thing but the echoing "1%" mantra is designed to
divert us from an apples-to-apples comparison.
How say you? Oh singers of false tales, take that!!!
I guess you'll have to agree with me Dad, the richest 1%
are slackers if they are only paying 30%. AARP says
they own 34.7% and rising. Big bucks they got.
They're like the rich guy who rarely picks up the
dinner tab when out with friends and never factors in
the tip, he just says "gotta run" and walks out to his
Mercedes. It's a sweet Mercedes too. The rest of us
are jealous but we still have to pony-up for the bill
and the tip.
If they would only pay their fair share and stop the
smokescreens and all of the whining, that would be nice.
They're rich! What's all their bitching about anyway?
So to Bob Brinker and other chanters of the mantra, your
mission should you decide to accept it, is to prove my
math and logic wrong. But I suppose you won't even have
to face these facts until your smokescreen clears.
Someone should call the arson squad.
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