Misleading Studies

 Many studies by well-educated people seem to get the results they  want. Here are: some examples:

We always heard the experts use the term again and again "income inequality." What is the goal? Is it income equality? That didn't work in Russia nor the countries under Russia's rule.'' The more appropriate  term should be the "income gap."

But the income gap is very overstated. The study measures the income before taxes. It should be measuring the after tax income including bonuses for the well-to -do. The researchers also used the low income people without including the government subsidies which are valued at $30,000 for a family of four. It is $50,000 in Hawaii. The uncounted subsidies in food stamps, Medicaid, breakfast and lunch meals at their children's public schools, the earned income credit, housing subsidies, refundable $2,000 credits per child, and so on. This means that 3% are actually below the poverty level, not 12.5%. But for anyone to be living in the bottom 20% is still unacceptable. The rich are too rich and the poor are too poor.

In healthcare we are compared to the other developed nations. The analysis failed to recognize some causes for this. America has a problem with violence and massive substance abuse. So if a person is rushed to the hospital while dying, this counts as a lost patient. Our people are more obese which causes organic problems like heart disease, kidney failure, and diabetes. This adds to our medical costs but are not found in most first world countries. We are more heterogeneous, with some not seeing a doctor until it's too  late. So our costs have to be much higher. We also do highly expensive operations to save even a fetuse's life while in utero. We count our birth rates counting those who are born dead. Then other countries count only children's death when they are at least one year old.

The U.S. also does needed surgeries very quickly in a few days or weeks. To get a hip replacement might take a week or so. In many of these countries, especially single payer systems, that operation would start in as much as a year. The U.S is still number one in all the serious conditions like heart failure, cancer treatment, brain surgery to name a few. So these studies are comparing apples to oranges. It can only be because the study was biased. 

Then there are the claims that America's public schools are nowhere near that of other first world. Again it is apples and oranges. These other countries are homogeneous, share the same language, values and practices. We have a very heterogeneous country. A share of our public school students can't speak English. Others are from their cultures or a family that put less emphasis on education.  This is not say the public schools are perfect and don't need improvement. I beg to differ. I think that even their curricula are in need of change by teaching students to think as well as memorize as it is now.

The conclusion - don't believe something because you heard it from  experts. We have to begin to think for ourselves.