Doctorremulac3 thinks it would be interesting to see a map shaded to indicate whether particular areas are adding to the economy or draining from the economy.
Might provide an incentive for those slacker cities, states and counties to get with the program and quit mooching off the rest of us.
Case in point. One county has a primary export of corn that generates 20 million a year but they get 30 million in government subsidies = deep red. Another county has no such government help and therefore adds money to the economy: black. Maybe blue would be better for surplus areas so you'd get a nice shade of purple for the in-between areas.
I'd be surprised if somebody hasn't done this, I just haven't been able to find anything.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 22 2011 Deficit Map of the USA http://www-958.ibm....ficit-map-2010-estiFirst result from Google for "deficit map" [marklar, Jun 22 2011] Income/Outgo Map of the USA http://visualizinge...ved-for-each-state/Doesn't have one map showing the ratio, but they are listed at the bottom. [MechE, Jun 22 2011] More personal graphics Interesting_20unemployment_20figuresPhysical Graffiti? [normzone, Jun 23 2011] Your Uncle Nutsy http://www.halfbake...your+Uncle+Nutsy%22 [calum, Jun 23 2011] Louisiana Purchase http://en.wikipedia.../Louisiana_purchaseCheap at twice the price. [8th of 7, Jun 23 2011] calum wonders if you are proposing the mapping of the amount spent by (central) govt. in a given zone as against amount gathered in by (central) govt in that zone by way of taxes?-- calum, Jun 22 2011 You'd have to pick something like that. It could get very complicated very quickly so that might be about the only one you could do without having to invest some real time.
This might have real utility though. I know people are very territorial. This can find outlet in harmless support of the local ball club all the way to xenophobic warmongering. This might be a way to illicit economically underdeveloped areas to find out why they've got problems and start solving them. Appeal to that citizenry's civic pride.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 22 2011 Baked. [link] Try to find a state with a surplus.
I thought this would be a world map, which I think would be better.
It's a bit unfair with states, because some will have natural resources while others grow subsidised crops.-- marklar, Jun 22 2011 And each week we all get to vote the underperforming counties out of the Union, a la The Weakest Link.-- ytk, Jun 22 2011 //Doctorremulac3 thinks it would be interesting//
Maxwell wonders if he knows Jim.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 22 2011 Doctorremulac3 hopes this isn't becoming a trend.
//Baked. [link] Try to find a state with a surplus.//
Thanks Marklar, I kind of assumed this must be out there somewhere.
I'm shocked, shocked I tell you, to find that the states with the biggest deficits are the two states whose citizens consider all the other states "Fly over states". Namely, states that constitute nothing more than a bothersome landmass crawling with unwashed prols prolonging their private jet flights from their Malibu beach homes to their Manhattan penthouses.
If I may, I'll leave this up because it's interesting for Marklar's link alone. Interesting annos too. I particularly like the weakest link idea.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 22 2011 [marked-for-deletion]
• baked
• not an idea: make a PP presentation of data x
• rant
• bad science: the link is for States' budgets, not Federal subsidies
• trolling.-- FlyingToaster, Jun 22 2011 Trolling indeed. Bad day FT?-- doctorremulac3, Jun 22 2011 /one dickhead referring to themself / Probably safe to assume "himself" given the whole dick thing, or at least the head if not the whole.-- bungston, Jun 22 2011 What doc suggests is not a deficit map, but rather a measure of government subsidy vs productivity. The way to look at this would be to see how many federal dollars flow into an area. Ideally one would then figure this per capita, and then also figure federal tax paid from the same area, this being used as a quantitatable proxy for economic productivity. One could hopefully go county by county with this.
Then one would graphically demonstrate on FoxNews how conservative antitax red state inhabitants fairly glow with government largesse, receiving much more back than they pay.-- bungston, Jun 22 2011 See link for most of the info on a state by state basis, if not presented exactly the way desired.-- MechE, Jun 22 2011 Hmm. Looks like California, Texas, Florida and New York are actually pulling most of the nation's weight.
New Mexico and Mississippi are pulling an over two to one ratio. I say we tell 'em to shape up or find a new country to mooch off of.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 22 2011 It does seem to be the case that all the "Ultra- Liberal" (CA, NY, MA) states are on the good side of break even. Maybe a few of the "Ultra-Consrvative" states are there as well, but the only one I see is Texas.-- MechE, Jun 23 2011 // tell 'em to shape up or find a new country to mooch off of //
Or indeed an old one .... <link>
But don't come cap in hand to the UK. The UK Government has things to organise, like the next war with the french.-- 8th of 7, Jun 23 2011 WILL the map take into account how others are taxed indirectly?
Alaska generates revenue from fuel /oil as does Texas. How does that factor, we here are taxing all else with our own state tax-- Zimmy, Jun 26 2011 Good point.
As for Alaska, I was going to point that out but I didn't want to get into this whole "red state vs blue state" debate that was brought up since arguments about left wing vs right wing quickly deteriorate into useless name calling. I'm not against useless name calling but I have to be in the mood.
A portion of that federal money "going" to Alaska is in the form of credits it's citizens are receiving for oil produced there. Factor in the oil and Alaska is a very important state to the US economy. The equivalent of you English people's North Sea oil fields.
But you make a great point. This map would have to have that, and any other information that would be useful factored in. You might have to come up with another index, like "success factor by area" or something. I think "deficit/surplus" may over simplify a bit.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 26 2011 Here's a general question - how come, when the Greek European state has trouble being in the Red, there's lots of handwaving about a second financial crisis, and the danger to the Euro, and what might happen if Greece drops out - while here's California, in pretty much exactly the same position - but nobody's worrying about the Dollar? - ok, so there are some people worrying about the Dollar, just not explicitly due to California's government debt.-- zen_tom, Jun 26 2011 Smart people are worried about the dollar and they should be.
Our main problem isn't just California's debt but the looming unfunded entitlement programs coming down the pike. Forget the controversial ones, we're talking Social Security and Medicare that most everybody supports, at least according to the polls. Again, avoiding the left wing / right wing slapfest, shut down the military and that wouldn't begin to pay for the shortfall.
People can riot in the streets all they want, but if there's no money there's no money.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 26 2011 [doctorremulac3] you're missing contributions that aren't measured in taxes payed.-- Voice, Jun 26 2011 Yes, agreed. I'm missing a lot. This isn't an easy index to figure out.
Do you measure productivity per capita? What about the idle rich who sits on their ass collecting capital gains, the "trustafarian" class who sits by the pool complaining about the pate' for a living? I guess if their resources are being used by productive people they'd get credit.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 26 2011 [zen_tom] As to the difference between Greece and California, it might have to do with the size of the debt relative to the size of the economy that can be taxed to pay for it. For California, the ratio is about 0.2; for Greece, it's greater than one.-- mouseposture, Jun 26 2011 random, halfbakery