🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1is2tvINNmrm@meaddata.meaddata.com> dedek@meaddata.com (Mike Dedek) writes:
>
>In article <27763@sybase.sybase.com>, joe@sybase.com (Joseph Weinstein) writes:
>|> Dean Edell on KGO revealed some data about canadian tobacco consumption, where
>|> taxation raised the cost of cigarettes to about $3 a pack. The data show that
>|> prior to the tax increase, per capita consumption was equal to the U.S. In the
>|> few years since the taxation the consumption rate has dropped by 30%.
>|> 
>This is not proof!  This is correlation.  Have _all_ other variables remained
>constant during the study?  For example, were the subjects of the study 
>exposed to other pressures to quit, such as adverse health information, 
>inability to smoke in certain environments, etc?
>
>Since 1900 in the US, personal income tax has increased dramatically
>(from 0% to currently 28% or thereabouts).  The standard of living has
>also increased.  Does this prove that increasing personal income tax
>causes an increase in the standard of living? If so, we should all lobby
>for increased taxes! 

Here's another one: the higher the crime rate in any given area,
the more churches per square foot are likely to be in the area.

Conclusion: churches cause crime!   

:-)

This gem from my statistics class way back when they were pounding
the correlation vs. causation difference into our heads.

--Neil

-- 
Neil Williams: neilw@informix.com

Seen on my last trip on United: "If you are seated in an exit row 
and can not (sic) read this card... please notify a crew member."