Quote:
Originally Posted by Turtle Boy
Sounds like the teacher needs to go to this site so as to understand some of the basic principles of polling:
http://www.notrain-nogain.org/Train/Exer/Num/poll.asp
The forum's results differ significantly from a state poll and from,
say, certain road associations previously mentioned who unanimously voted to send money to Winnfabs. |
Yet again calling my profession into the argument. Will you please stop? How many times do I have to ask? Could you just stop? Seriously?
Let me explain something in the simplest terms for you and elchase. This has been said over and over again on this forum. While I understand that you see no validity in any poll taken on this site I see even less validity on a statewide poll. The poll was taken statewide as you have said. Why the heck would we or anyone care what a resident of lets say Salem New Hampshire thinks about a speed limit on a lake they have never been to? Explain to me why those people should have ANY say on what recreation takes place on this lake?
Do you have any faith that if I created a poll restricting the uses of sailboats on the lake that the results would come back in your favor? Especially if the question was posed to non boaters who have never visited this lake? Do you understand that concept? Is it really that hard to understand? I am reasonably confident that I could create a question that could be posed to the general New Hampshire public that would result in showing that New Hampshire residents favor some sort of restrictions on sailboats.
Here is another example that may help you and elchase: Most non boaters that visit my camp are ABSOLUTELY BLOWN AWAY that I drive my boat at night without headlights! So tell me how hard would it be for me to create a poll that asks "Should all boats should be required to use headlights on the lake at night," and get results that favor headlight use on the lake?
Does that example make it more clear for you? I'm in teacher mode now.
So while you put stock in your statewide poll, I'll put stock in the poll answered by boaters who boat on the actual lake in question. While both polls have their flaws I'd rather see a Lake Winnipesaukee ONLY poll done by the Citizen or another paper. The first question should be do you or have you used Lake Winnipesaukee for recreational purposes. If the answer is no then it is an immediate disconnect.
Your constant mention of my profession in your comments is tiresome as I mentioned already. But I will consider this a teachable moment for you. Your understanding and interpretation of polls and polling is limited at best. Your faith in the statewide poll is confirmation of this fact.
Furthermore the polls on this site are of course not "official" in any sense of the word. I do understand that this is just an informal survey. My point is that I put just as much stock into this poll as you do in the statewide poll. At least I know that the replies on this site come from boaters. That is FAR more than I can say about the statewide poll.