President's Corner: Lies, Statistics, and Government Statistics

by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D., President/CEO, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Recently, the Grassroot Institute offered testimony on HB 2229, a bill that would set up a task force to keep the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. While our purpose was to raise the question of whether the Pro Bowl really brings revenue to the state (and to prepare for the inevitable request for funds to renovate/rebuild Aloha Stadium), there was another aspect of the issue that could use some attention.

There's a famous quote (generally attributed to Benjamin Disraeli) about the three kinds of lies: "lies, damned lies, and statistics." But perhaps there should be a special category for government statistics being offered in pursuit of an appropriation.

The justification for the Pro Bowl task force was full of unexamined and unchallenged statistics. It was claimed that the Pro Bowl broadcast is worth $200,000,000 in advertising for Hawaii. According to whom? The NFL--the same organization that is demanding $4 million plus from the state. Should we automatically accept their valuation of background shots and colorful cuts-to-commercial?

Likewise, the Hawaii Tourism Authority claimed that the Pro Bowl brought some 47,000 visitors to the state. Two economists looked at hard data about arrivals and departures and determined that as many as 40,000 of those "visitors" were locals.

Whether we should keep the Pro Bowl in Hawaii is an interesting question, and there are arguments to be made on both sides. But how can we make that decision without good, verified, and unbiased data?