How to lie with statistics.
The following item is on the Associated press.
Quote:
Few Firms Control Oil Leases on U.S. Land
By DAVID PACE
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - A single New Mexico family and a dozen big oil companies, including one once headed by Commerce Secretary Don Evans, now control one-quarter of all federal lands leased for oil and gas development in the continental United States despite a law intended to prevent such concentration, federal records show.
Sounds awful doesn't it? Do the math your self. That is thirteen organizations controlling a quarter of the activity on US lands with rights bought by competive buiding. That is 2% each. Since that is the most damning statistic they could come up with, the next 25% must be a considerably greater number of outfits--say for the sake of argument it takes 25 companies to get the next 25% and 50 more to get to 75% and 100 for the next 25% that is 13+25+50+100 or almost 200 companies. And that is just the lower 48 states. The number is actually in the thousands.
Have you got 200 or a 1000 grocery store choices? Are there 200 clubs to work at in your neighborhood?
Re:How to lie with statistics.
Also, notice that they are only talking about federal land. Ever drive through west Texas? There's thousands of wells on private property.
Who was is that said, "there's lies, damn lies, and statistics"?