The phrase "lies, damned lies, and statistics" well-known as suggesting stats can be misleading. can manipulate arguments, present dishonest information, and can be more deceptive than outright lies. Then we have surveys.

1. The United States is a big country with a big and growing population. Meanwhile the population of both Russia and China is declining. India is the most populous nation on the planet with one of the highest population growth rates. More than 18% of the world's population lives in India and if we add China to the mix, 36% of the world's population lives in those two countries. Is this a positive for America (and the rest of the world) or a negative (comments please)?

The United States is a big country with a big and growing population. Meanwhile the population of both Russia and China is declining. India is the most populous nation on the planet with one of the highest population growth rates. More than 18% of the world's population lives in India and if we add China to the mix, 36% of the world's population lives in those two countries. Is this a positive for America (and the rest of the world) or a negative (comments please)?

Positive for America.

Negative for America.

Positive for the rest of the world.

Negative for the rest of the world.

Other (please specify)

Not Applicable

How does this effect global trade?

2. Statistically we would expect the crime rate per 100,000 of population in a civilized, wealthy and democratic nation such as the USA to be lower than other less blessed countries. And yet we see the USA as one of the most murderous countries in the world (see illustration). This was in 2023. Politics aside, should the National Guard help the police in the nation's crime hot spots? (please comment about what the National Guard should be doing if not that.)

Statistically we would expect the crime rate per 100,000 of population in a civilized, wealthy and democratic nation such as the USA to be lower than other less blessed countries. And yet we see the USA as one of the most murderous countries in the world (see illustration). This was in 2023. Politics aside, should the National Guard help the police in the nation's crime hot spots? (please comment about what the National Guard should be doing if not that.)

Yes

No

Undecided

Not Applicable

3. Here is a listing of the US cities with the highest crime rate. I have visited 5 of them over the years and felt safe there. Please comment if there are any you would specifically avoid in 2025. Are there any of these cities you would remove from the list?

Here is a listing of the US cities with the highest crime rate. I have visited 5 of them over the years and felt safe there. Please comment if there are any you would specifically avoid in 2025. Are there any of these cities you would remove from the list?

Yes

No

Undecided

Not Applicable

The phrase "lies, damned lies, and statistics" is well-known as suggesting stats can be misleading. They can manipulate arguments, present dishonest information, and can be more deceptive than outright lies. Then we have surveys.