"After administering polygraphs for the last 15 years, you learn some very interesting things about people,'` said Brannon. ``Such as, probably 70 percent of the people tested are being truthful.'`

Gulible brettski: WOW! Golly gee mister, so you mean 3/10ths of society are just outright, pathalogical liars? Boy oh boy, I'll never believe anything unless they're hooked up to a polygraph!

Cynical brettski: Well, there's been a lot of debate about a polygraph's accuracy since, well, since it was invented. It seems a lot more believable that the error rate of a polygraph is around 30%. Seriously, could society even function with so many people lying at any given time?

Personally, what I really hate about polygraph examiners are the claims they make for sheer shock value. Some of the stuff they say doesn't even make sense. For example, there's this company in the United Kingdom named Distress Services, a 'profesional lie detector testing service,' They have a websight where the discuss the value of the polygraph for anyone and everyone. The make a particularly interesting claim about the merits for pre-employment screening with polygraphs:

Pre Applicant Screening
With over 25% of job applications containing a lie about serious matters such as previous convictions or drug taking, your company could be exposing itself to unnecessary risk. The present day threat of terrorism has also exposed many organisations previously not at risk to a new and real danger. Please contact us for further information on how our services can assist you in the recruitment of personnel and the security of your business.

http://www.polygraphs.co.uk/services.asp

Gullible brettski: Oh my God! Terrorists could be in my office right now! Save Me!

Cynical brettski: Hold on! That doesn't make any sense! How could 25% of job applicants be lying about prior convictions when less than 1% of any country's population is actually in prison? Are 25% of us are shooting up on hard drugs? Maybe the 25% of people failing the drug use question are actually just false positives. I know that's a lofty theory, but maybe, just maybe, mankind isn't hopeless.

I remember reading up on the infamous Dr. Marston. Who apparently preffered to have female employees because he viewed men as being more violent, dishonest, and lazy. I guess his groundbreaking research revealed the failings of the Y chromosome. Honestly, does polygraph training teach their students to lose faith in humaninty, or just to turn their brain off?

P.S. I'm new to discussion boards. How do I do that cool quote in a box thing?