We Really Need 3D—or Maybe 4D—Graphics to Talk About Govt Spending and Debt
What is it that Hemingway always used to say? That thing's not loaded? Or something about how the "dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water." Yeah, well, the horrors of federal finances is pretty undignified just looking at the amount of spending versus revenue we do and then it gets really sloppy when you look at the huge amount of debt below the waterline.
The chart above comes courtesy of Jon Gabriel of FreedomWorks, who wryly notes that he's taken guff from Republicanoid C.H.U.D.s who claim that he's been too tough on GOP presidents because…because…because…:
The numbers shown above can't be spun by either side.
Math doesn't care about fairness or good intentions. Spending vastly more than you have isn't good when done by a Republican or a Democrat.
Back in 2010, Reason TV recognized that when it came to charting government spending, two dimensions just weren't enough to dramatize how bad things were going. So we released a series of 3D videos to drive the message home. Reason magazine also printed up a 3D issue of the mag (complete with 3D specs). The numbers have only gotten worse, but let's face it: We need at least three dimensions—and possibly a fourth for smell—to fully capture just how awful things have been and how nasty they're going to get.
Watch Reason TV's 3D Fiscal House of Horrors in 2D, featuring "I Spend on Your Grave!", "Night of the Living Debt", and "Attack of the Killer Compensation!":
