today's TD poll question is an exceptionally inartful piece of work. Here is the question:

<<<Should certain topics be off limits during council meetings?

Yes
No>>>

Now just WHAT can be concluded from the results of this poll? Answer: not very durned much.

The question is a hard line yes or no question on a topic that has very wide ramifications. If I should answer "yes," my answer might mean that I do not support liberty for speakers to cry "fire" in a crowded theater. Council Chairman (and resident Ayatollah) Leland Howard's "yes" answer would likely mean that he believes folks addresing the council should not be allowed to say anything HE does not wish them to say. Others saying "yes" might mean that obscenities should be prohibited. In short, there is such a huge range of meaning that could be subsumed by the universe of potential answers to this poll question, that the summary poll results will be essentially MEANINGLESS.

The poll question, as posed, does not actually qualify itself as apparently intended. Given that an article in today's paper dealt with limitations on what persons (i.e. the "public")may or may not be permitted to say when addressing the Council during prescribed comment periods, the question should have been parsed to clearly elicit a response on THAT subject. As written, however, the question could relate to ANYTHING said during ANY PART of the Council meeting by any Council member or by the Mayor or by any menber of the public. Pretty clumsy. The TD could do better.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: beternU,

How many statisticians do you think the TD employs?