Live data from Hacker News

Population much more than 8.2B, rural areas underestimated

popularmechanics.com

41–50 of 56 posts

Re: Population much more than 8.2B, rural areas underestimated

#41
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is this scary? It's like observing that I don't have enough time to write a comprehensive treatise on every German speaking philosopher of the 19th and 20th century. I obviously don't, I probably could barely complete even one at this point. My life is not any better or worse due to this.

Assuming you had an interest in writing a comprehensive treatise on German philosophy, not being able to complete it in one lifetime would strike many people as frightening. It’s one of those numbers that forces you to consider your own mortality, like those charts showing how many weeks there are left assuming you live to be 80 years old.

Frightening how? I'll probably die in about 2000 weeks plus or minus. So what.

Re: Population much more than 8.2B, rural areas underestimated

#42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Using your own contrived math - if you have just 30 helpers - you can count population of China in 1 year. Or with 219 helpers you can do the same for world population. In US, for the 2020 decennial census, the U.S. Census Bureau hired approximately 500,000 temporary workers across the country to assist with the count.

> In US, for the 2020 decennial census, the U.S. Census Bureau hired approximately 500,000 temporary workers across the country to assist with the count. Thus..it's difficult and expensive.

US spent 13.7B on census which is 1.37B/year since a census is done per 10 year. The ROI is definitely huge. It's not expensive at all.

Re: Population much more than 8.2B, rural areas underestimated

#44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you saying that large infrastructure projects have been systematically overcounting population in order to pay more compensation? That there's an interest in making them seem more disruptive, and as if they displace more people? If that's an obvious conclusion, I need more explanation.

It doesn't need to be top-down corruption on the part of Dam Corp, LLC. Think about it this way - you and your family live somewhere and are being displaced to make way for a dam, some guy in a suit comes around and says "we'll pay $1000 per resident to move you somewhere else". Maybe your uncle lived at your house with his wife for 5 years, until they moved to the city last year. Your grandmother lived there until s…

My high school was Ft. Knox, armed guards, metal detectors, ID must be worn and visible at all times. No backpacks, waist band exposed. Class doors automatically lock when the bell rang, anyone in the hall would be escorted out. No hall passes, no bathroom breaks, cameras everywhere.

Except for 1 week. We had basketball tournaments and activities, movies, pizza parties, free ice cream. Wear whatever you want. No ID enforcement.

That was the week they counted attendance to determine how much funding the school got. They even bussed the "bad" kids in from the satellite campus.

Re: Population much more than 8.2B, rural areas underestimated

#45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't need to be top-down corruption on the part of Dam Corp, LLC. Think about it this way - you and your family live somewhere and are being displaced to make way for a dam, some guy in a suit comes around and says "we'll pay $1000 per resident to move you somewhere else". Maybe your uncle lived at your house with his wife for 5 years, until they moved to the city last year. Your grandmother lived there until s…

My high school was Ft. Knox, armed guards, metal detectors, ID must be worn and visible at all times. No backpacks, waist band exposed. Class doors automatically lock when the bell rang, anyone in the hall would be escorted out. No hall passes, no bathroom breaks, cameras everywhere. Except for 1 week. We had basketball tournaments and activities, movies, pizza parties, free ice cream. Wear whatever you want. No ID e…

This is so foreign to me, as a forty-something. Why do we let schools take security theatre to such tragicomedy. It likely breeds more killing than it prevents.

Re: Population much more than 8.2B, rural areas underestimated

#46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In US, for the 2020 decennial census, the U.S. Census Bureau hired approximately 500,000 temporary workers across the country to assist with the count. Thus..it's difficult and expensive.

US spent 13.7B on census which is 1.37B/year since a census is done per 10 year. The ROI is definitely huge. It's not expensive at all.

It seems expensive at around $4-5 per person per year! I think a satellite could gather useful population information based on a year of observing people entering and leaving their homes. I also wonder why the government needs to account for everyone in America? Can’t it just account for taxpayers who voluntarily work with the government system at the state and federal level?

Re: Population much more than 8.2B, rural areas underestimated

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

US spent 13.7B on census which is 1.37B/year since a census is done per 10 year. The ROI is definitely huge. It's not expensive at all.

It seems expensive at around $4-5 per person per year! I think a satellite could gather useful population information based on a year of observing people entering and leaving their homes. I also wonder why the government needs to account for everyone in America? Can’t it just account for taxpayers who voluntarily work with the government system at the state and federal level?

> It seems expensive at around $4-5 per person per year!

On the contrary, that is a small percentage of the taxes I pay from a single paycheck.

Re: Population much more than 8.2B, rural areas underestimated

#48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

US spent 13.7B on census which is 1.37B/year since a census is done per 10 year. The ROI is definitely huge. It's not expensive at all.

It seems expensive at around $4-5 per person per year! I think a satellite could gather useful population information based on a year of observing people entering and leaving their homes. I also wonder why the government needs to account for everyone in America? Can’t it just account for taxpayers who voluntarily work with the government system at the state and federal level?

The census collects information on everyone because that's what the Constitution says it has to do. There's a bit over 200 years of case law arguing the specifics (e.g. how to handle the "Indians not taxed" exception), but in modern times it's interpreted to mean literally everyone.

Re: Population much more than 8.2B, rural areas underestimated

#50
post #6

I've typically heard it rumored that populations get overestimated, as corrupt local officials in developing countries want to get more resources/power allocated to their district

Twice the stated population, half the expected tax revenue, no explanation or corroboration for population growth.

Sounds like a suspicious mix.

Post reply on HN