Organizing for America | Dreaming Big: Pet owners prefer McCain over Obama

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Pet owners prefer McCain over Obama - BAD STATISTICAL INFERENCE

By Julia from Pasadena - Jul 8th, 2008 at 9:35 am EDT

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This article is interesting
Pet owners prefer McCain over Obama
http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-pets-and-politics

but I'm guessing the writinger failed statistics, if they even took it. Its a good example of how correlation does not imply causality. (the typical example is the number of icecream cones sold increases as the number of people wearing shorts increases, but they don't have any causal relationship, they are both confounded by SUNSHINE).

Anyhow, this silly article talks about how pet owners prefer McCain to Obama, but they act like its a true finding, and not just confounded.

For example, another explanation of this finding could be age, age could be counfounding. We already know that younger students tend to favour Obama. And what do you know, younger students tend to not have pets yet, 'cause their life is unstable. So age alone might confound the results.

I'm sure there are other things. And I really wish we could teach all reporters basic statistical thinking so they would stop making such silly inferences.

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"paper is patient" | Report to Admin

By E. B. from Wisconsin Jul 8th 2008 at 9:48 am EDT

To quote my 91 year old mother "paper is patient" and any silly or false thing can and will be published.

On the other hand, thank you for your strong support of our candidate. Together we will make Change.

Greetings from Iowa | Report to Admin

By Hussein The Hope Monger Jul 8th 2008 at 9:51 am EDT

These pollsters are utterly idiotic. Who freakin' cares? Don't we have bigger fish to fry (or will that offend goldfish and guppy owners?)?

Fired UP!!

It puts the lotion on..... | Report to Admin

By figgypuddin Jul 8th 2008 at 12:53 pm EDT

Hitler loved his dog too.
Then he killed it after baking scads of people.

Perhaps Repubs missed the mark by not nominating
Mitt Romney and his roof-travelling dog.

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