Quote:
Originally posted by Spanky
Ty you have a knack for posting desceptive and therefore useless statistics. This map might be relevent if it detailed the change in "average" incomes. However, since Bush was elected the economy has either been stagnent or growing (as far as I know it has never contracted - if it had that would have been huge news) therefore the average incomes across the country has increased. And yes, for all you liberals, that would hold even if other B.S. "progressive" propagandada is true. In other words, even if the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer (which is not true), average incomes would still be higher if we have had positive growth. And since Bush has been in office the economy has grown.
The problem with the term "median" is it is open to interpretation, and therefore abuse by people producing "statistics". Average incomes have gone up, but according to this chart, median incomes have come down. In some basic statistical samplings the terms median and average can be used interchangeably. Therefore, although they are trying to make this seem like a simple calcuation, it is clearly not because average and median incomes are different here. So what the hell do they mean by "median" incomes? Some psuedo-statisticians claim the median is the "center" of the bell curve. Since the center of the bell curve can mean different things to different people, that just means they have chosen a spot on the curve to produce these stats.
Unless they explain what their definition of median is and how they came up with it, this chart is uselss because no one really knows what it is saying.
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As far as I know, the term "median" could not be more clear here. See the second definition
here, which corresponds with what I learn in grade school. How do you think it's confusing?
There's no inconsistency at all between the observation that mean incomes are rising but median incomes are falling. You have to make an argument as to why people should disregard the latter in favor of the former.
eta: I think the data in this chart is stunning. I knew generally that the most affluent were capturing the benefits of economic growth, but not to this degree.
