Lies, damned lies, and statistics version.
Building on the topic I introduced yesterday, let's take a look at a very recent example of what appears to be either a badly done, or agenda-driven, use of statistics to push a desired policy goal - in this case, revising the military retirement system.
Bottom line up front - every military retiree I've talked to - including the gentleman who analyzed the Defense Business Board presentation - are amenable to changing the military retirement system to give the soldier an equity stake he or she can take with them, vice the current all or nothing game where only 13% of us take home a retirement check unless there's been an incentive introduced to get people to leave active duty during a draw-down - such as occured in the 90's. And anything is better than what happened to the force during the post-Vietnam Reductions In Force.
So - we're a receptive audience, though we might quibble with the details. But we also firmly believe that the discussion should be based on open and honest data, vice data that appears to have been shaded to exaggerate the problem - which we believe tends to lead to solutions that will be an over-reach.
Read the complete post at http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2011/08/the_power_of_an_1.html
Posted
Aug 31 2011, 06:41 AM
by
Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys..