On Sat, 9 Dec 2000 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Since the vote difference between Bush and Gore falls within the margin
> of error for the counting process, ...
Is it, indeed? How do you define "margin of error" for this process?
> ... declaring the winner is mathematically indeterminable ...
Non sequitur, credo. Care to define "intederminable", especially as
modified by "mathematically" ? And how such -- indeterminability? --
could be supposed to affect a "declaring" ?
> within any reasonable degree of scientific confidence.
Ah. But the problem at hand is not one of scientific confidence, is it?
To the extent that any confidence is involved, it's surely political, not
scientific. No?
> Since we cannot know who has won, ...
Is this the editorial, or possibly the royal, "we"? You may speak for
your own agnosticism, but not anyone else's, I should think.
> the Florida Legislature should use their power ...
They probably will, in any case. "Should" by what standard(s) of
moral imperative (ot whatever) ?
> ... to honor the will of the people by choosing 25 electors that
> proportionally represent the two candidates based on the popular vote.
An interesting proposition, to which Bob Hayden has already replied.
> This solution is both common-sensical and constitutional.
Ah, but IS it constitutional, under Florida law? If, as I understand to
be the case, all Florida electors are, by law or by the Florida
constitution, awarded to the "winning" candidate, it would appear not to
be.
As to whether it be common-sensical, perhaps one might consult Tom Paine.
It appears at least as common-sensical as the judgment of Solomon in the
case of the disputed baby.
-- DFB.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Donald F. Burrill [EMAIL PROTECTED]
348 Hyde Hall, Plymouth State College, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MSC #29, Plymouth, NH 03264 (603) 535-2597
Department of Mathematics, Boston University [EMAIL PROTECTED]
111 Cummington Street, room 261, Boston, MA 02215 (617) 353-5288
184 Nashua Road, Bedford, NH 03110 (603) 471-7128
=================================================================
Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about
the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at
http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/
=================================================================
