Senator McGovern during Vietnam: 'I'm tired of old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.'

That was 50 years ago. The sentiment hasn't changed. The only thing that changed is the speed at which old men can start them.

#PublicOpinion #AI #IndieWeb

Pentagon briefing the Vatican ambassador on US foreign policy. The intersection of military power and moral authority hasn't changed in centuries. What changed is the briefing gets leaked and the public finds out.

Transparency isn't a policy. It's a side effect of everyone having a phone.

#PublicOpinion #AI #IndieWeb

"A recent Axios story on maternal health policy referred to “findings” that a majority of people trusted their doctors and nurses. On the surface, there’s nothing unusual about that. What wasn’t originally mentioned, however, was that these findings were made up.

Clicking through the links revealed (as did a subsequent editor’s note and clarification by Axios) that the public opinion poll was a computer simulation run by the artificial intelligence start-up Aaru. No people were involved in the creation of these opinions.
The practice Aaru used is called silicon sampling, and it’s suddenly everywhere. The idea behind silicon sampling is simple and tantalizing. Because large language models can generate responses that emulate human answers, polling companies see an opportunity to use A.I. agents to simulate survey responses at a small fraction of the cost and time required for traditional polling.

Phone polling has become exponentially harder. Web polling is too uncertain. Silicon sampling removes the messy, costly part of asking people what they think.

But this undermines the very idea of the opinion poll. Public opinion is used to guide policy, politics and social science, and it has value only insofar as it summarizes the beliefs and opinions of actual humans. Using simulations of human opinions in place of the real thing will only worsen our broken information ecosystem, and sow distrust. We should not turn to an artificial society to try to understand our real one."

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/ai-polling.html

#AI #SyntheticData #Polls #PublicOpinion

Welfare's Shifting Tides: From Population Control to Racial Bias

New US study shows beliefs about Black recipients decrease welfare support. See how race impacts social programs and who benefits.

#WelfareDebate, #RacialBias, #USPolitics, #SocialPrograms, #PublicOpinion

https://newsletter.tf/us-race-welfare-support-study/

Beliefs about Black people receiving welfare in the US can lower support for these programs by up to 8% for every 1% increase in perceived recipients.

#WelfareDebate, #RacialBias, #USPolitics, #SocialPrograms, #PublicOpinion
https://newsletter.tf/us-race-welfare-support-study/

TRUMP'S IRAN WAR WOES DEEPEN AS DOMESTIC FRONTS FRAY

Find out why the public is doubting President Trump's Iran war strategy and facing domestic challenges. Get the facts.

#TrumpWar, #IranConflict, #DomesticIssues, #PublicOpinion, #WhiteHouse

https://newsletter.tf/trump-iran-war-public-doubt-domestic-issues/

Public doubt about the Iran war is growing, with shifting goals and domestic issues like DHS funding and the Supreme Court case. This is a major challenge for President Trump.

#TrumpWar, #IranConflict, #DomesticIssues, #PublicOpinion, #WhiteHouse
https://newsletter.tf/trump-iran-war-public-doubt-domestic-issues/

Wyoming News: Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office announces public comment period for 10-year Statewide Historic Preservation Plan. “The Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is inviting the public to help shape the future of our state’s cultural heritage. Through May 28, Wyoming residents, stakeholders and preservation partners are encouraged to review and comment on the […]

Public Opinion Must Be Rightly Focused

Some thinkers believe our political leaders are a reflection of ourselves.

If so, then can politicians really lead us?

https://www.tiereddemocraticgovernance.org/blog_details.php?blog_cat_id=33&id=288

#tiereddeemocraticgovernance
#publicopinion #leadership