How Statistics get Skewed

Have you heard the old chestnut about illegal aliens hardly using public services. I have and I've always wondered how anybody really knew. Whe I worked briefly at a county jail I know for a fact nobody was allowed to report illegal immigrants. So in essence all the illegals I saw in that jail weren't being counted in the crime stats.

Then you read this...

MADISON, Wis. - Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed a bill Friday aimed at making it harder for illegal immigrants to receive government benefits, saying it went too far in requiring proof of citizenship of all beneficiaries.

Illegal immigrants already are ineligible for government benefits but supporters of the bill said they were coming to Wisconsin because it was too easy to get around the restrictions.

Under current state law, state workers ask applicants if they're in the country legally. If the applicant answers yes, the workers don't have to verify the statement.

Did you catch the contradiction? Though illegal aliens are barred from using public benefits, no one asks, which is exactly the same as saying they are entitled to the benefits. My head hurts.

My point is simple, always bear stories like this in mind when you hear a bleeding heart liberal like Mike Medved ratlle off stats that suggest that illegals X-Y-Z. We really don't know the truth, and can't know the truth.

To find the truth one must ask the question, and that it appears, no one will do.

H/T Beyond borders

Technorati Tags: illegal immigration, welfare, the truth