Alberta spent $3.8 million on its Smithsonian party in Washington in 2006, an event hailed as a huge success by the government and slammed as a waste of taxpayers’ money by the opposition.

[A spokeswoman] said surveys conducted by the Smithsonian show that before the festival 77 per cent of people polled had very little knowledge about Alberta, while 95 per cent of those surveyed at the end said they had a good experience.

I wish I remembered all the proper latin names for logical falacies I learned in TOK because…well…this is certainly one of them. Here’s an idea:

Give me 3.8 million dollars to throw a Dalton Day party on Monday. We’ll have Dalton McGuinty costumes for everyone! Dalton themed food! Dalton themed prizes! Everyone will get wasted out of their minds! You know what? I’m willing to bet that around 77% of people at my party would have very little knowledge about Alberta. And, hell, I bet with 3.8 million dollars I could ensure at least 96% of people there have a good time!

Methinks the folks at Edspedia (now offering the “Cindy Ady Valentine’s Day Special”) will have fun with this one…