In Reply to: The facts contradict your position posted by Alan on June 12, 2004 at 08:06:34:
OK, I give you the second point on the 25K that Joe won't pay much. I happen to think that the economic system as such, used in the US is pretty good. Is it rotten? Well, I don't know. What I think is a problem is the idea of pure capitalism, but that is another story.
Now, about statistics. Yes, I do have a good background on that and I didn't wan't to toot my own horn but that happens to be the case. And it also happens to be my reason of why I would have to understand the basic assumtions for those numbers - which I don't and therefore my ignorance on that point.
About your explanation of the median, you are wrong. Go back to the books that explpain what that is and you'll see that it is the point that separates 50% on one side and 50% on the other side. The upper boundary of the right side is not known and can be infinity, as we all know some people make so much money... (no more comments).
So, there you have it.
On this whole discussion the interesting part to me is that while I declare myself not a liberal and not a conservative - which is the same as saying a little liberal and a little conservative, I am branded as a pure liberal by the conservatives.
This is not new to me, because there are some political minded people who cannot see the world in colors or in grays but only black and white. Some of the things you have said made me think that you are a little more open minded than that but hey, I am as biggoted as the next person when it comes to my own prejudice.