Identifying Misleading Information In An Argument

Find an online article (news, magazine, journal, etc.) on any subject that interests you that uses statistics to make its conclusion. Share a link in this thread.

Now answser these questions about that article:

• What is the premise and conclusion of the argument based on statistics?
• Determine whether or not the argument uses any deceptive statistics.
• Give your opinion on whether or not the argument has presuaded you. Explain why or not.
• Determine the primary ways in which statistics or authority are used in your current position in developing persuasive arguments and provide examples here.

“Identifying Misleading Information in an Argument” Please respond to the following:

PART 1 PLEASE RESPOND THE FOLLOWING QUESTION IN NO LESS THEB 275 WORDS (ORIGINAL WORK, NO PLAGIARISM, 1 REFERENCE)

“Identifying Misleading Information in an Argument” Please respond to the following:

•Consider the following argument: There are many arguments for the elimination or modification of current U. S. drug laws, but one of the most persuasive involves what negative effects drug laws are having on society in comparison with the effects of the drugs themselves. In the past ten years, most forms of drug use have dropped significantly, especially among teens. Despite this, non-violent drug offenders accounted for 21.1 percent of the federal prison population. First time drug offenders serve, on average, a sentence three months longer than kidnappers, nine months longer than burglars, and thirty-three months longer than sex abusers. In 1992, the average cost of keeping an inmate in either state or federal prison was about $20,000 per prisoner per year. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with 455 prisoners per 100,000 population. It is maintaining these prisoners at great expense in an environment where they are unlikely to develop a socially constructive attitude. Perhaps it is time that we reconsider our attitudes toward those who choose to use drugs; failure to do so may cost society even more than it already has.

◦Determine whether or not the argument uses any deceptive statistics. Give your opinion on whether or not the argument has persuaded you. Explain why or why not.

◦Determine the primary ways in which statistics or authority are used in your current position in developing persuasive arguments, and provide examples of such use.

PART 2 PLEASE COMMENT TO THIS DISCUSSION NO LESS THE 175 WORDS BASE ON 1 CREDIBLE RESORCE NOTE THIS DISCUSSION IS BASE ON PART 1 (PLEASE AGREE WITH ONE OF THE STATEMENT AND ADD ADDITIONAL INFO)

I believe the information given from 1992 on the average cost of a prisoner is misleading. 1992 was a long time ago according to the federalregister.gov the average cost for 2013 was a little over $26,000. That is a substantial increase over the amount give of $20,000. I agree there should be a modification to the current drug laws. It is not financially responsible for the US to continually waste money on incarcerating people for using drugs. For those who are selling drugs or endangering others lives by operating a vehicle while under the influence or child neglect, there should be laws and stiffer penalties.

Last year a bill was signed in Philadelphia that decriminalized the use of marijuana. If someone is caught with simple position they are issued a $25 ticket, if they are caught smoking it they are issued a $100 ticket. Since the law has went into affect Philly.com estimates that arrest have decreased by 88%. In the first sixty days the city saved $627,000 by not arresting these non violent offenders. It is estimated by the end of the year the city will save $3.75 million. This does not include the revenue from the tickets that are being handed out. This keeps people from having permanent records and in some cases saves their jobs. It also helps to have more police officers on the streets to help catch more violent criminals. In looking at this information it is easier to see the positive side of modifying current drug laws.

http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/philly420/Marijuana_arrests_plummet_in_Philly_after_decrim.html

APA FORMAT, ORIGINAL WORK, NO PLAGIARISM, 1 REFERENCE PARTS, PART 1 PLEASE RESPOND IN 275 WORDS, PART 2 COMMENT TO THIS DISCUSSION NO LESS THE 175 (PLEASE AGREE WITH ONE OF THE STATEMENTS AND FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

• Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
• Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
• One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
• I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

• Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
• In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
• Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
• Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality

• Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
• Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
• I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

• I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
• As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
• It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

 

LopesWrite Policy

• For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
• Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
• Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
• Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

• The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
• Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
• If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
• I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
• As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

• Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: 
  • Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
  • Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.