In Reply to: Voodoo statistics posted by Alan on June 12, 2004 at 14:42:00:
I think you are confusing the median with the mean but, by definition and repeating what I've already said, the median is the exact middle point of all samples. What means that if there are 100 million tax payers, there are 50 million on one end and 50 million on the other end. You can check these up in any elementary book of statistics. Look it up, it may help you remember.
Like I said, but you don't have to believe me either, in statistics the assumptions one uses determines the method to apply, not the other way around.
But as you say, all of this is irrelevant. In my experience I have seen way too many people who work their butts off and can never move up or improve their conditions, and it is because of external forces not because they don't apply themselves. Some people don't believe this but in my case I cannot say it doesn't happen. Even if it is a small percentage of the whole population, it is still a large group to just simply dismiss as if they don't exist or are unimportant.