Who read the Reader's Digest/Yahoo Poll? (Current Events)

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In the new issue of RD on page 14 they ask the question; "How Much Freedom Would You Give Up?" More than 30,000 people responded.Some of the percentages for some of the questions I can understand right at this moment, considering what has happen,but 3 questions really blew me away with yes answers,when they asked;

"Establish a national registration of digital identity checks,such as fingerprints or eye scans" and 70% agree

"Require registration of all residents with local police, and annual re-registration" and 35% said yes.

"Do you favor allowing our intelligence agencies to use wiretaps" 69% answered yes.

We are in deep trouble if that is the - growing - mood around the country, just because somebody wants to take pot shots at us every now and then.

-- TomK(mich) (tjk@cac.net), October 23, 2001

Answers

Response to Who read the Reader's Digest/Yahoo Poll?

Positive identification of residents has little or nothing to do with freedoms enumerated under the constitution -- unless you have something to hide.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), October 23, 2001.

Response to Who read the Reader's Digest/Yahoo Poll?

National registration may not encroach on legitimate freedom, but it makes it only one step to do so, on a simple executive decree (or even bureaucratic regulation). That can be done instantly, without recourse to legislation or the courts. You would THEN have to fight it through the courts for months or years AFTER the fact; whereas doing the same thing from scratch by legislation would require the fight of months take place (relatively) in public BEFORE they infringed on your freedom.

You may decide that the risk is worthwhile, and that after all you trust your representatives. I just thought I'd point out that there is a potential downside, even if it's extremely unlikely with people as upstanding and trustworthy as YOUR politicians.

-- Don Armstrong (from Australia) (darmst@yahoo.com.au), October 25, 2001.


RD has a readership in the millions, so 30,000 responding would be an extremely small percentage of that, and also not statically valid. Polls like this, unless conducted by professionals, have no validity. Those who voluntarily respond are normally the ones at the extreme ends of an issue.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 25, 2001.

Ken, do you know as a fact RD did not hire professionals to conduct the survey. Also, what statistician are you referencing the scoffs at 30,000 responses to a poll?

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), October 25, 2001.

A toe in the door is all that it takes to keep it from closing. I remember when our leaders assured us that our SS# would never be used for anything but social security porposes. Now we already have a national registry of residents and it was done so painlessly that most think it is fine. Trusting politicians is akin to petting alligators. Charlie in OK

-- Charlie Sappington (charliesap@pldi.net), October 25, 2001.


42.7 percent of allpolls are made up on the spot.

-- bin jr (bin@laden.com), October 27, 2001.

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