Raise the Price of Political Talk

Whether it's promises of leaving no child behind, energy independence or predictions of Hilary and Giuliani's impending victory, it seems most political claims are erroneous. In fact, not only are campaign promises and predictions rarely true, but there seems to be little consequences to saying them. For this reason, I have decided to ask others to back up what they say with their money. This experiment begins with a confident prediction from my father about McCain's inevitable victory. I asked him to back up his his claim with a $20 bet. Political preferences aside, I see the cards in favor of Obama (even counting the recent Palin bump). My hope is that you, my readers, will challenge my statements with this same fervor. If you feel like I have made a statement or a prediction that data or the future will not support, ask me to put my money where my mouth is. Also, by making the bets public on this blog, it will hopefully result in less erroneous talk and more real discussion.