bigboxcar: minnpost: Think you can balance the state budget? Give it a try Take the deficit into your own hands with the MinnPost state budget calculator. We found it surprisingly easy, though, admittedly, we weren’t aiming for realistic solutions. This turned out really cool. I spent some time with JavaScript to add some functionality to a really well written and researched budget deficit fixer-thingy by MinnPost writer Sharon Schmickle. Not only can you cut millions and billions from the MN state budget, but you can learn what the reality of those cut will be. That’s the coolest part about the experiment. There are tough days ahead, fellow Minnesotans. I love these calculators. I’m also fascinated by the choices other people make on them—would love to see some kind of national stats on the choices people would make. 

bigboxcar:

minnpost:

Think you can balance the state budget? Give it a try

Take the deficit into your own hands with the MinnPost state budget calculator.

We found it surprisingly easy, though, admittedly, we weren’t aiming for realistic solutions.

This turned out really cool. I spent some time with JavaScript to add some functionality to a really well written and researched budget deficit fixer-thingy by MinnPost writer Sharon Schmickle. Not only can you cut millions and billions from the MN state budget, but you can learn what the reality of those cut will be. That’s the coolest part about the experiment. There are tough days ahead, fellow Minnesotans.

I love these calculators. I’m also fascinated by the choices other people make on them—would love to see some kind of national stats on the choices people would make. 

nightline: Thirdway.org proposes a taxpayer receipt. The IRS breaking down how the check you sent them was spent. Although that’d be one more receipt to keep track of.  Here’s what it would look like for FY09. (via Ezra Klein) This is very smart, because it expresses the information in a way that’s a lot easier to understand; it especially shows how Afghanistan and Iraq are just sucking the life out of the federal treasury. 

nightline:

Thirdway.org proposes a taxpayer receipt. The IRS breaking down how the check you sent them was spent. Although that’d be one more receipt to keep track of. 

Here’s what it would look like for FY09.

(via Ezra Klein)

This is very smart, because it expresses the information in a way that’s a lot easier to understand; it especially shows how Afghanistan and Iraq are just sucking the life out of the federal treasury.