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USA Facts – Federal, state, and local data from government sources

usafacts.org

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Re: USA Facts – Federal, state, and local data from government sources

#91

Post by sgc »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #77
dandare wrote: post #70

Dear USA Facts team, we would like to offer you few hints for public spending visualizations based on our experience. We are the creators of https://us.wikibudgets.org/w/united-states-budget-2016 . - Government spending is only a small part of the public finance. People need to see all public organisations: states and cities, departments, offices, bureaus and agencies, schools, hospital and prisons and obviously all…

I don't think this comment is particularly helpful. Sure there different ways to slice and dice this but the data set was previously unavailable anywhere . Let's just be happy that you can get some of this information today without having to drive around scanning paper documents.

I find it very useful. It is constructive criticism to help a startup in their related field develop further, and includes helpful links to examples. Anyone can see it is an implicit call for any form of cooperation the two organizations might find mutually beneficial; and it ends with a best of luck wish, showing that there is no animosity. We might be "just happy", but both parties here can be happy and keep working at the same time.

Re: USA Facts – Federal, state, and local data from government sources

#92

Post by lloydde »

neap24 wrote: post #41
lloydde wrote: post #30

"USAFacts was inspired by a conversation Steve Ballmer had with his wife. She wanted him to get more involved in philanthropic work. He thought it made sense to first find out what government does with the money it raises." Had anyone made the comic strip version? Wife: it breaks my heart to hear about the many suffering Americans. We can't take our money with us when we die, let's help our fellow Americans? Steve: t…

I get the joke, but in all seriousness we probably need both types of people in the world. Some who take immediate action and others who prepare the way for more informed action.

I have a ton of respect for Steve Ballmer. My intent is good fun.

The humor for me hinges on "[Mr Ballmer] thought it made sense to first ... government" implying he sees it as a necessary sequence for him to dig into the data and he wasn't satisfied with the data he had access to. It also humors me that it reads like he doesn't consider the initiative itself being philanthropic. Yes, I do enjoy that it also allows for words to be put in Mr Ballmer's mouth for some darker humor: Mr Ballmer believes it's the role of the government. And Mr Ballmer couldn't find any of the numerous paths paved with objective analysis that he could use to get more involved in philanthropic work.

Of course, none of these interpretations match reality. I do like the intro coming across, at least partially, as normal geek thinking. I like that the About hasn't yet been PR distilled.

Re: USA Facts – Federal, state, and local data from government sources

#94

Post by RightMillennial »

peterwwillis wrote: post #81
marcgcombi wrote: post #46

And of course, USAFacts' interpretation of the responsibilities of government are right out of the liberal progressive manifesto... but I think that is the way the data need to be reported, because there is no Constitutional anchor-point for 2/3rds of what the US Federal Gov't actually does.

Can you explain the obsession people have with the Constitution? It seems like some people believe all new laws shouldn't exist if they're not in the Constitution.

The U.S. Constitution and its amendments establishes limits to the power of the Federal Government. The obsession with it is that governments tends to overstep their bounds. It's something the lay person can read and point to, and definitively say when the government is doing something it is not authorized to do.

Re: USA Facts – Federal, state, and local data from government sources

#95

Post by BugsJustFindMe »

iplaw wrote: post #69
BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #18

Before anyone goes putting a ton of trust in these charts... Compare the following: http://usafacts.org/metrics/31815 vs http://usafacts.org/metrics/12966 In the second chart half a million more people decide to die every 10th year? ( imgur link to screenshots in case the links don't work: http://imgur.com/a/tY02j )

It's the trend line generation, not the data. The start and end points are the same between the two graphs. To say that this nitpick throws shade on the entire project is a bit overstated.

It's the trend line generation, not the data.

What you just said doesn't make any sense and is a post-hoc rationalization besides.

The start and end points are the same between the two graphs.

Actually they are not. The starting numbers (1980) differ between the two charts by ~500,000 deaths.

To say that this nitpick throws shade on the entire project is a bit overstated.

My very first search on the data came up with this. I suppose I could have kept searching but that puts me personally at a 100% error rate. Maybe I'm just really really unlucky, though.

Re: USA Facts – Federal, state, and local data from government sources

#96

Post by BugsJustFindMe »

odonnellryan wrote: post #62
BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean people are more likely to die in census years? I mean, it could be true, but I'm not willing to bet on it. [edit] So I went and put "why is death rate higher in census years?" into the google search bar, and the first result is "Causes of Death - Census". I didn't actually click on the link to find out, but that title certainly sounds like the census kills people. So maybe you're right. :)

I think it's just that the intermediary years are estimations and the chart isn't compensated. The estimates are just bad and not adjusted historically. Doesn't make the chart bad... just makes the data a little wonky.

It sounds like you're inventing reasons to post-hoc rationalize bad data. What exactly are the intermediate years estimates of? What does "isn't compensated" even mean in this context?

Doesn't make the chart bad... just makes the data a little wonky.

The chart is great. It perfectly represents exactly the data in the tabular form. The data is apparently garbage though.

Re: USA Facts – Federal, state, and local data from government sources

#97

Post by phonon »

BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #18

Before anyone goes putting a ton of trust in these charts... Compare the following: http://usafacts.org/metrics/31815 vs http://usafacts.org/metrics/12966 In the second chart half a million more people decide to die every 10th year? ( imgur link to screenshots in case the links don't work: http://imgur.com/a/tY02j )

They probably were using death rates and multiplying by population (which gets readjusted every census.) Definitely a FIXME.

Re: USA Facts – Federal, state, and local data from government sources

#99

Post by tvanantwerp »

dandare wrote: post #70

Dear USA Facts team, we would like to offer you few hints for public spending visualizations based on our experience. We are the creators of https://us.wikibudgets.org/w/united-states-budget-2016 . - Government spending is only a small part of the public finance. People need to see all public organisations: states and cities, departments, offices, bureaus and agencies, schools, hospital and prisons and obviously all…

Solid feedback. Having spent my career in think tanks, I can certainly relate to the complexity of understanding what government does / how it's organized, and struggling to communicate that intelligibly. Sounds like you guys have put a lot of thought into those problems.
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