"thunder" wrote in message
news
On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 17:40:55 +0000, NOYB wrote:


"Gene Kearns" wrote in message

Average Unemployment for the US 6%
Average Unemployment for Democratic States 5.463% Average Unemployment
for Republican States 5.085%

That statistic presents a pretty strong argument to support my
statement.
However, since both Democrat and Republican-controlled states *both*
have
unemployment rates under 6%, and the *average* for the nation is higher
than each party's average, that means that the states in which the
legislature is split must be *significantly* higher than 6%. If that's
the case, it makes a pretty strong argument that a two-party system
seems
to more of a hindrance than a help when it comes to creating jobs.


I guess it's a good thing you didn't become an engineer ;-) Hint: think
population.

Gene took the averages from each state according to the party that controls
the legislature, added them, and then divided by the number of states. That
method is useful for giving a general picture as to which party controls
more states with high unemployment. When he gives the "average unemployment
for the US" I assumed he was just adding the unemployment rates for each
state and dividing by 50. If that's the case, then my assertion that the
states with a split legislature must have a very high unemployment rate.

If Gene is using 6% as the national unemployment rate (rather than an
"average" of each individual state's rate), then of course population
matters. Since California and Texas have such large populations, and such
high unemployment rates, they drag the rest of the country's average up.

Part of being an engineer entails looking at something from various
viewpoints.