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CDC data are disappearing

theatlantic.com

511–520 of 656 posts

Re: CDC data are disappearing

#511

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Data isn’t the ultimate fact check But it is. Numbers can be twisted, but it they can easily be verified. Bias, bad sources and cherry picking can allow you to tell stories, but the data will allow you to verify those stories are indeed facts. Brain can’t really fact check things that don’t have any data.

Numbers alone will always lack context. You can absolutely verify where the numbers came from, weren't altered, and the math was done right. What you can't do is verify the numbers alone accurately portray what was happening in the real world, or what has happened in the real world since the snapshot of those numbers was taken. Numbers are extremely useful, but numbers alone mean absolutely nothing.

True, numbers alone mean nothing. And the surrounding context alone also doesnt paint a sufficient story. You need both, for without both you can't be effective. Unless said data/context is fabricated, trying to suppress either seems like a clear case of acting in bad faith.

Re: CDC data are disappearing

#512

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Things" are not getting harder every year; if you only see negative things in the world, this is a sign you have depression more than anything.

Hmm. If things are not getting harder then either they stay the same or get better. I would find it hard to argue for either of those positions, but I would welcome you to try to defend that "things are not getting harder". In just about every possible metric outside of maybe "few really, really wealthy individuals make more money" things are not getting better or are stable. Are you maybe suggesting that what is goo…

Income inequality in the US hasn't increased since 2014 and is sharply decreased since 2019. Lower income people are making more money than ever. There was a period of no income growth for upper-middle class people, however, which probably made them unhappy.

https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31010/w310...

What did happen in the last two years was there was a "vibecession" where everyone decided to pretend the economy was bad even though everything about it was objectively good. You can see this in surveys, because everyone answered them with "I'm personally doing well, but I know everyone else is doing badly because I heard it on the news".

First described here:

https://kyla.substack.com/p/the-vibecession-the-self-fulfill...

Note, this was written at the tail end of the inflation period and none of the predictions of bad things quoted in the article actually happened.

Of course, that's the story up to the end of 2024. All kinds of bad things can happen now - I can't tell you about the future, but the present is easier.

Re: CDC data are disappearing

#513
post #404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of those are technically not true - the sky is frequently not blue, the sun doesn't actually rise and there are number systems where 2+2 does not equal 4 (eg, 2+2 = 1 in a mod 3 arithmetic). That sounds pedantic until people start disagreeing or implementing legal requirements that result in people needing to use the definitions. Eg, if there is a legal requirement to recognise that 2+2=4, is it ok to teach mod…

We are fucking doomed. We cannot even agree on the basics any more.

if it's any consolation, when the sky isn't blue, it's mostly because the ground is on fire. a situation which is exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change.

so i mean, it's hard to agree on the basics when the basics are changing, I guess.

Re: CDC data are disappearing

#514
post #443

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean the current game plan, from what it seems, is to make porn a shameful and taboo thing. Same as abortions as well. There’s a heavy pro-natalism push for obvious reasons, and I have no idea why, but it feels like current government is trying to fix it through wrong methods. They know they’re royally fucked if people having 0-2 kids max.

Zero effort is going into addressing any of the top reasons people cite for not having kids: housing prices, unaffordable college, child care, etc.

Those definitely affect the choice, but ultimately, there’s just no real cultural push to have more kids nowadays. Rich people aren’t having kids either, as you can see in top 10%, 1% brackets. Like, I don’t have a single girl friend that even wants 3 kids. Anyone whom I’ve talked to always has a range between 0-2. Can’t blame them. Giving up at the minimum 6 years of your life for no real benefits kinda sucks.

Re: CDC data are disappearing

#515

Removing these records from the public internet could likely be considered illegal under the OPEN Government Data Act, 44 U.S.C. § 3506: > (d) With respect to information dissemination, each agency shall— (3) provide adequate notice when initiating, substantially modifying, or terminating significant information dissemination products; (4) not, except where specifically authorized by statute— (A) establish an exclusi…

Lol I think anyone who thinks legal and illegal mean anything, has still not gotten the plot.

Yeah that was basically my point with my earlier comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42905289

Re: CDC data are disappearing

#516

Removing these records from the public internet could likely be considered illegal under the OPEN Government Data Act, 44 U.S.C. § 3506: > (d) With respect to information dissemination, each agency shall— (3) provide adequate notice when initiating, substantially modifying, or terminating significant information dissemination products; (4) not, except where specifically authorized by statute— (A) establish an exclusi…

Damage done, mission accomplished... If you do something illegal and can get away with it relatively unscathed, then it isn't in practice illegal.

Who would even prosecute? State attorneys general?

Re: CDC data are disappearing

#517

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Who cares about the NFL? It's a simple example, that's why it's relevant. All the facts are available for anyone to see, to process, to analyze. There is no disputed or hidden data. And yet nobody, including any AI, can produce a "true" answer to the question, because it's reliant on one's personal biases. Even with Covid, did a 92-year old die because of Covid, or because of a multitude of existing conditions that…

It's not relevant because the person who is MVP in a sport is an opinion. Or, to put it more bluntly, it's a marketing scheme to keep people talking about it. There's no correct answer when it comes to opinions. If the question was who scored the most points in the year, that can be answered factually by data. If the NFL was deleting all their data at the end of the season with the goal of creating arguments and sowi…

Lol - "cause of death" is often an opinion as well. Or no opinion at all - "natural causes."

Re: CDC data are disappearing

#518
post #454

My prediction is that any future data that is published will likely show up in the x.com app. I believe they are trying to privatize all government functions and Musk wants X to be the official government super-app similar to China's system.

So this is how Elon gets his everything app. Jesus Christ, the corruption knows no end. And he might actually pull it off with this administration.

Re: CDC data are disappearing

#520
post #363

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Have you noticed how in the past decade or two we have totally abandoned the pursuit of happiness through self-reliance and independence? No.

Really? Maybe its my bias showing through, but my memory of the last couple decades is largely an exercise in most people looking to outside authorities (governments, corporations, titled experts, etc) to fix problems rather than dealing with it individually.

Yes, it's your bias.
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