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LETTER ‘Sampling is everything’

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I’m not a bit interested in a personal quarrel between two or three writers of letters to the editor. Corny as it may seem in this Trumpian era of tribal points of view, however, I believe there actually is a reality out there, regardless of any particular person’s opinion about it. But how to grasp it? How to achieve a truthful representation? Answer: Sampling is everything. From designing a public opinion poll to recording a Beethoven symphony in digital format, quality of the sample determines the quality of the final product.

Herein lies the source of disagreement between Dave Ball, Steven Wolf and me regarding the federal budget. They have cherry-picked one favorable month (budget surplus) as evidence for their argument, whereas my point is that several years (budget deficits) offer a more reliable insight into the reality in which we live. I leave it to the readers to make their own choice.

Bill McDonald

Washington

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