Statistically Speaking

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My Applied Statistics professor in college really liked my project and presentation. He didn’t like it because it proved something wonderful that he could patent or because it was pretty or because we did something about which he was personally passionate. He liked it because I got up in the summary and said that the statistics were insufficient to demonstrate any statistically significant correlations between the groups on the demographics we chose to examine.

Everyone talks about this past election because of its historic nature, but as Rush Limbaugh says, the only thing remarkable about it is that we saw another peaceful transition of power despite the millions who did not vote for the new president. Obama talked about statistics in his inaugural, so let's talk statistics. The fact of the matter is that this, like so many other agenda-driven items, is not statistically relevant.

According to Mark Levin, 2 million is about average for an inauguration. In fact, he remembers when the Fliers won the Stanley Cup and 3 million people poured onto the streets of Philadelphia. We need to deal here with a segue to an economy of scale: at the nation's founding, there were only 2 million people in the whole country, meaning that if Obama had managed in 1792 to bring that many to his inauguration it would have been truly astounding. The fact of the matter is that less than 1% of our current population went to Washington to watch the inauguration, yet at that same scale, it would have taken only 20000 people watching Washington to rank a comparable crowd. Considering that he likely had that many soldiers present alone in Philadelphia (granted he took the oath inside in the building adjacent to Independence Hall) his inauguration was at least as impressive statistically speaking.

Obama’s presidency is mediocre so far at best, no matter how the media spins it. Sure, they find young people in the crowd who talk of how his election has made their life better, but so far nothing Obama has done or mentioned he plans to do will elevate the life of the average person in America. How sad of a life you must have when the most important thing that's ever happened in your life is that Barack Obama took the oath of office.

So he completed a full day, a full week even as president. Well, give that man a medal. That's what we PAY him to do. But what has he really done? It's all political, short on specifics and entirely a matter of pandering to interests. Empty promises do not give me reason to marvel. So far, on inauguration day he signed a bill creating another National Day of Something-or-other, and yesterday he signed some executive orders. His tax relief bill is loaded with Government pork- none of which will help create permanent jobs in the private sector.

Instead of securing the nation, Obama has turned hard left in an attempt to secure socialism in perpetuity in this country. What he’s done so far is sign a series of executive orders, thereby effectively skirting the checks and balances system by passing by the rest of the federal process and leaving the legislative branch twiddling their thumbs. Furthermore, those executive orders have made America more vulnerable to attack from terrorists while he makes ovations of appeasement. He would do well to remember Patrick Henry. “I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House. Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land.” Our enemies mean to win. Obama just showed them that he doesn’t.