Benjamin Hav Mitra Kahn wrote: >I agree that "the data about human beings can be treated just as objectively >as the data of physics, although a different method must be used." However, >the problem as far as I see it, within the discipline as a whole, and this >statement per se, is that there is rarely (if ever) paid any attention to >the DATA itself. Roger to that from Mitra-Khan. Some examples are the omission of unrealized capital gains from income and GNP; the murky definitions of the CPI; saving as a small residual from large but vaguely defined terms; arbitrary definitions for depreciation; etc. ad inf. Too many people toss "official" numbers around just because they exist, and pretend they know what they mean. Mason Gaffney