One thing about any scientific measurement is that the signal always is convoluted with noise. One tries to hone in on the signal by verifying the data with repeated measurements. The more measurements you make, the better you can characterize the noise and have more confidence in the signal.
This echoes the rule of thumb from my news reporting days at my university newspaper - always confirm information with a second source. Better yet, find a second source *AND* a third source.
It seems like there is a lot of noise out there in the health care / health insurance reform debate. Some of this is normal "noise" associated with debating complex issues. Health insurance reform *IS* complex and should be debated. But more and more in recent days, it seems to me like a lot of this noise has been injected into the debate for politically-motivated reasons.
A lot of it is plainly dishonest and not true, and although I'm sure these people truly believe in their causes, the arguments they make are not honest. Please, the ends simply do not justify the means.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and this should be respected. What we need is honest debate. So please make sure these opinions are informed ones.
Read the reform legislation and follow the money. See how your senator / congressman have voted in the past. Seek out the truth and see how it affects you.
And please make your own judgments. Our democracy depends on you.
These sites might help:
www.opencongress.org
www.opensecrets.org
www.maplight.org
No comments:
Post a Comment