Fun With Numbers

On Friday November 2nd, two interesting numbers were introduced to the public. The first, was from the Washington Post on U.S. Military deaths in Iraq for October.

The number of attacks against U.S. soldiers has fallen to levels not seen since before the February 2006 bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra that touched off waves of sectarian killing, according to U.S. military statistics released Thursday. The death toll for American troops in October fell to 39, the lowest level since March 2006, and the eighth-lowest total in 56 months of fighting, according to the Web site icasualties.org, which tracks military fatalities.

An unofficial Health Ministry tally showed that civilian deaths across Iraq rose last month compared with September, but the U.S. military found that such deaths fell from a high this year of about 2,800 in January to about 800 in October.

Then there was the number of highway deaths in October from the Wisconsin DOT.

In October, 59 people died in 51 Wisconsin traffic crashes, according to preliminary statistics from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. In terms of traffic deaths, last month was the fourth safest month of October since World War II. The lowest total occurred in 1997 with 53 traffic fatalities. The deadliest month of October was in 1971 with 127 fatalities

The 59 deaths in October were eight fewer than in October 2006 when 67 people died in 60 crashes and 10 fewer than the five-year average for the month of October of 69 fatalities in 65 crashes.

As of Oct. 31, a total of 634 people have died in Wisconsin traffic crashes during 2007, including 105 motorcycle drivers, five motorcycle passengers, eight bicyclists and 48 pedestrians. Traffic deaths through October were 41 more than during the same period in 2006 but 23 fewer than the five-year average.

Going by the logic of anti-war liberals, the media, and Democrats; there is just one conclusion to draw here: THE DOT'S SURGE HAS FAILED.

It is time we admit that we are trapped; engaged in a civil war on Wisconsin's roads. That all the manpower, marketing, and effort is wasted that will only lead to more dead drivers.

DOT Secretary Frank Busalacci is no doubt a fine man with years of transportation experience behind him; but he is incorporating the same failed "Stay the Course" philosophy of those before him. His ways will only lead to more dead drivers.

Yeah, no wonder folks like Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Steve Kagen, and countless other liberals sound like fools when they talk about statistics in Iraq.

Only idiots see failure in progress.