- Government Spending 17
- Corporate Welfare 7
- Economics 6
- Debt 4
- GDP 4
- Financial Sector 4
- Military 3
- Terrorism 3
- Tools 3
- Taxes 2
- Podcast 2
- War 2
- Monkey Business 2
- Federal Reserve 2
- Uncategorized 1
- Welfare 1
- Healthcare 1
- Iraq 1
- Housing Bubble 1
- Congress 1
- Psychology 1
- Freedom of Speech 1
- Books 1
- Obstacles 1
- Solutions 1
- Politics 1
- Empiricism 1
- Utilitarianism 1
- Financial Crisis 1
- Health 1
- Mental Illness 1
Government Spending
You are 14 Times More Likely To Die of Cancer Than From an Opioid Overdose
How much does the US spend on the military compared to the rest of the world?
The US accounts for about 37 percent of total global military spending, but only represents 4.4 percent of the world’s population.
How much does the government spend per person?
The entire US Federal Budget alone is $4.4 trillion and the US population is 328,316,410. Dividing the US budget by the US population produces $13,401 in federal spending per American.
How much does the average American pay in Taxes?
Anti-Terrorism Spending 50,000 Times More Than on Any Other Cause of Death
The US spends more than $500 million per victim on anti-terrorism efforts. However, cancer research spending is only $10,000 per victim. Evolutionary psychology may offer an explanation for this irrational threat amplification.
There is a 0.00001% Chance that Your Vote Will Matter
There’s less than a 0.00001% chance that your vote will be the tiebreaker that decides the outcome of a national elections.You are more likely to be injured in a car accident driving to the polls (0.002% chance). Hence, if you are trying to make a practical improvement in your life and those of your loved ones, it is much more rational to just stay home on election day.
Governments Spend $1.8 Trillion Murdering Us and Destroying Our Property Annually
World governments are spending $1.8 TRILLION each year finding ways to murder us and destroy our property.
NEWS FLASH: US Government Wastes $1.5 Trillion on Devastating Drug War
Dear President Obama,
$2.3 Trillion Missing from Pentagon
Every World Statistic You Could Ever Dream Of (In Real Time)!
A multitude of constantly updated world statistics that puts the current state of human existence—on this lonely blue orb—in tidy perspective!
From the Bankers Who Brought You President Obama Comes NEW PRESIDENT™!
Governor Romney™ has been scientifically proven to increase spending faster than the President Obama™! Obama has only increased government spending a disappointing 5.5% annually over his term.
Get Society Rich Quick: The Ideal Level of Government Spending
It is commonly claimed that government spending is good for the economy, but the statistics show the opposite. Most recent studies find a negative correlation between total government size and economic growth. Why is economic growth important? Because wealthier societies are generally happier societies.
No matter how good things get for us, we always want more. Human beings want better:
Meet the Backers: Bankers Flip-Flop to Romney
The financial sector primarily backed Romney in 2012 after having supported Obama in 2008.
GOP Presidential Candidates Budget Plans EXPOSED
GOP Candidate Ron Paul has produced a detailed budget containing over $1 trillion in first-year reductions. Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich have only indicated that they would attempt to repeal Obamacare saving an average of $20 billion a year.
Government Spends More on Corporate Welfare Subsidies than Social Welfare Programs
About $59 billion is spent on traditional social welfare programs. $92 billion is spent on corporate subsidies. So, the government spent 50% more on corporate welfare than it did on food stamps and housing assistance in 2006.
Bailout Costs $16,000 per Worker
A clear examination of the true costs of the bailouts.
The Future of US Government Debt
Those who say “These are extraordinary times. We can’t afford to worry about the national debt now. We’ll be in a better position to deal with that later.” should check out these projections.
Corporate Welfare
Financial Sector Costs Us More than Any Other Sector In Economy
Voters See ‘Corporate Welfare’ Programs As A Good Place To Cut Government Spending
15% of likely U.S. voters think the federal government should continue to provide funding for foreign countries to buy military weapons from U.S. companies. Seventy percent (70%) oppose this funding to promote U.S. arms sales.
Government Pays Doctors $44,000 to Use an iPad
Now starving doctors will finally be able to afford an iPad thanks to your generous tax contribution!
Government Spends More on Corporate Welfare Subsidies than Social Welfare Programs
About $59 billion is spent on traditional social welfare programs. $92 billion is spent on corporate subsidies. So, the government spent 50% more on corporate welfare than it did on food stamps and housing assistance in 2006.
What Would Have Happened If We Let AIG Fail?
The average household in America had to shell out around $2000 to make sure that AIG’s counter-parties wouldn’t have to accept the risks they took.
Bailout Costs $16,000 per Worker
A clear examination of the true costs of the bailouts.
Historical Examples Show Government Intervention Only Prolongs Economic Downturns
We’re taxing successful, competently run businesses to subsidize irresponsible, poorly run businesses. Until we realize this simple fact, the previous trend of increased productivity and standards of living will only be a memory.
Economics
Keynsian Creationism and Intelligently Design Economies
The mythology of effective Keynesian centralized economic planning is born of the same mother as the mythology of creationist intelligent design. Both of these fantasies arise as a result of the human mind’s inability to deal with complex systems.
GDP and You!
Gross domestic product (GDP) is the value of all final goods and services produced within a country.
Wealth Inequality in America
Infographics on the distribution of wealth in America, highlighting both the inequality and the difference between our perception of inequality and the actual numbers. The reality is often not what we think it is.
Get Society Rich Quick: The Ideal Level of Government Spending
It is commonly claimed that government spending is good for the economy, but the statistics show the opposite. Most recent studies find a negative correlation between total government size and economic growth. Why is economic growth important? Because wealthier societies are generally happier societies.
No matter how good things get for us, we always want more. Human beings want better:
Housing Bubble Wastes $2 Trillion on 14 Million Empty Houses
Image by Ed Hall (halltoons)
Historical Examples Show Government Intervention Only Prolongs Economic Downturns
We’re taxing successful, competently run businesses to subsidize irresponsible, poorly run businesses. Until we realize this simple fact, the previous trend of increased productivity and standards of living will only be a memory.
Debt
US Financial Crisis: Who Killed the Economy?
The cause of the US financial crisis is simple. It’s debt. This is a very simple and graphical evidence-based explanation of what caused the collapse.
Housing Bubble Wastes $2 Trillion on 14 Million Empty Houses
Image by Ed Hall (halltoons)
Debt Will Swell Under Top GOP Hopefuls’ Tax Plans
The national debt would balloon under tax policies championed by three of the four major Republican candidates for president, according to an independent analysis of tax and spending proposals so far offered by the campaigns.
The Future of US Government Debt
Those who say “These are extraordinary times. We can’t afford to worry about the national debt now. We’ll be in a better position to deal with that later.” should check out these projections.
GDP
Financial Sector Costs Us More than Any Other Sector In Economy
Get Society Rich Quick: The Ideal Level of Government Spending
It is commonly claimed that government spending is good for the economy, but the statistics show the opposite. Most recent studies find a negative correlation between total government size and economic growth. Why is economic growth important? Because wealthier societies are generally happier societies.
No matter how good things get for us, we always want more. Human beings want better:
Historical Examples Show Government Intervention Only Prolongs Economic Downturns
We’re taxing successful, competently run businesses to subsidize irresponsible, poorly run businesses. Until we realize this simple fact, the previous trend of increased productivity and standards of living will only be a memory.
The Future of US Government Debt
Those who say “These are extraordinary times. We can’t afford to worry about the national debt now. We’ll be in a better position to deal with that later.” should check out these projections.
Financial Sector
Financial Sector Costs Us More than Any Other Sector In Economy
How the US Monetary System Steals from the Poor and Gives to the Rich
Required viewing for anyone who does not yet understand the complicated mechanism by which the banking system transfers wealth from those at the bottom to those at the top.
Housing Bubble Wastes $2 Trillion on 14 Million Empty Houses
Image by Ed Hall (halltoons)
Historical Examples Show Government Intervention Only Prolongs Economic Downturns
We’re taxing successful, competently run businesses to subsidize irresponsible, poorly run businesses. Until we realize this simple fact, the previous trend of increased productivity and standards of living will only be a memory.
Military
Governments Spend $1.8 Trillion Murdering Us and Destroying Our Property Annually
World governments are spending $1.8 TRILLION each year finding ways to murder us and destroy our property.
$2.3 Trillion Missing from Pentagon
Fraudulent Defense Contractors Paid $1 Trillion
Bernie Sanders – U.S. Senator for Vermont
Terrorism
Anti-Terrorism Spending 50,000 Times More Than on Any Other Cause of Death
The US spends more than $500 million per victim on anti-terrorism efforts. However, cancer research spending is only $10,000 per victim. Evolutionary psychology may offer an explanation for this irrational threat amplification.
Iran US Foreign Relations: A History of Violence
Many Americans consider Iran to be a psychopathically violent nation that would be willing to commit suicide in order to kill as many Americans as possible. The statistics behind historical Iranian US relations do not support this view.
What Really Causes Terrorism? It’s Not Your Freedom.
95% of suicide terrorist attacks are targeted at occupying foreign militaries. 0% of suicide terrorist attacks have been directed at countries not militarily involved in geopolitical disputes.
Tools
The Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential
The Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential was the result of an ambitious effort to collect and present information on the problems with which humanity perceives itself to be confronted. It aims to clarify the challenges such problems represent to concepts, values and development strategies. The Encyclopedia encourages the discovery of a new conceptual dynamic for understanding and action, sufficiently complex to encompass the factions, conflicts and paradigms by which people are separated — both from each other and from a promising future.
The Encyclopedia (in its online archival version) consists of a number of extensive data sets. These are hyperlinked within each other and to each other, as well as to compatible data sets — notably those which makes up the Yearbook of International Organizations. This volume profiles the 50,000 international bodies from which the data for the Encyclopedia is largely derived.
ALGONOMY: A FRAMEWORK FOR DEALING WITH SUFFERING
From algosphere.org:
Felicific Calculus
Taxes
A More Progressive Tax System Makes People Happier
A new study comparing 54 nations found that the more progressive the tax policy is, the happier the citizens are.
Debt Will Swell Under Top GOP Hopefuls’ Tax Plans
The national debt would balloon under tax policies championed by three of the four major Republican candidates for president, according to an independent analysis of tax and spending proposals so far offered by the campaigns.
Podcast
GOP Presidential Candidates Budget Plans EXPOSED
GOP Candidate Ron Paul has produced a detailed budget containing over $1 trillion in first-year reductions. Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich have only indicated that they would attempt to repeal Obamacare saving an average of $20 billion a year.
Government Pays Doctors $44,000 to Use an iPad
Now starving doctors will finally be able to afford an iPad thanks to your generous tax contribution!
War
Iran US Foreign Relations: A History of Violence
Many Americans consider Iran to be a psychopathically violent nation that would be willing to commit suicide in order to kill as many Americans as possible. The statistics behind historical Iranian US relations do not support this view.
Fun Facts About Iraq!
The Iraq war will end up costing at least $3 trillion. With that much money, you could end world hunger for 100 years or end American hunger for 100 minutes!
Monkey Business
Drink by Numbers!
In response to recent allegations that Anheuser-Busch has been watering down its beer to boost profits, my lab used gas chromatography with flame ion detection to determine if this was indeed the case. Our analyses suggest with greater than 99% certainty that Budweiser is, and shall remain, the king of beers. Beer lovers around the world can continue to drink soundly with the knowledge that their euphoria and elevated levels of self-confidence are in no way psychosomatically induced. Based on our findings, I am confident in saying that Budweiser will continue to be the cause of (and solution to) all of life’s little problems.
cos(b) says, “The kids today need to learn their mathematics, ya see!”
Mathematical proof that Bill Cosby is not square:
Federal Reserve
Financial Sector Costs Us More than Any Other Sector In Economy
Housing Bubble Wastes $2 Trillion on 14 Million Empty Houses
Image by Ed Hall (halltoons)
Uncategorized
Obama to cut deficit in half… After quadrupling it.
“Obama plans to slash deficit in half” is the title of this AP story. The attribution of fiscal responsibility to our current president is rather misleading.
Welfare
Government Spends More on Corporate Welfare Subsidies than Social Welfare Programs
About $59 billion is spent on traditional social welfare programs. $92 billion is spent on corporate subsidies. So, the government spent 50% more on corporate welfare than it did on food stamps and housing assistance in 2006.
Healthcare
Government Pays Doctors $44,000 to Use an iPad
Now starving doctors will finally be able to afford an iPad thanks to your generous tax contribution!
Iraq
Fun Facts About Iraq!
The Iraq war will end up costing at least $3 trillion. With that much money, you could end world hunger for 100 years or end American hunger for 100 minutes!
Housing Bubble
Housing Bubble Wastes $2 Trillion on 14 Million Empty Houses
Image by Ed Hall (halltoons)
Congress
Unrepresentative Democracy – Government by the Millionaires and for the Millionaires
Our representative government is not socioeconomically representative of the governed. These bitches be gettin’ paid! This begs the question, why so little bling on capitol hill?
Psychology
Are You Reading this of Your Own Free Will?
Patterns of brain activity predict people’s decisions up to 10 seconds before the people are aware of them, according to new research that casts fresh doubt on whether we have free will.
Freedom of Speech
World Press (and Pothi) Freedom Index
All censorships exist to prevent anyone from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions. All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently, the first condition of progress is the removal of censorship.” ― George Bernard Shaw
Books
The Wisdom of Crowds
The Wisdom of Crowds is about the aggregation of information in groups, resulting in decisions that are often better than could have been made by any single member of the group.
Obstacles
How to Overcome Bias in Crowdsoucing Participants
Solutions
The Hedonistic Imperative
One of the most cost effective solutions that will be evaluated by the Crowdsourcing Utopia system is David Pearce’s Hedonistic Imperative. ability to control the motivational and reward systems in the brain.
Politics
A Utilitarian Party Platform
Jonathan Baron proposes this Utilitarian Party platform:
Empiricism
Why Think by Numbers?
A world without disease, starvation, violence, and suffering is the ultimate destination of humanity. Getting there will require voters to base their decisions on statistical cost-benefit analyses instead of irrational emotions. The power of numbers can make utopia a reality.
Utilitarianism
How Much Direct Suffering Is Caused by Various Animal Foods?
This is a rigorous analysis from the brilliant utilitarian mind of Brian Tomasik originally published at http://www.utilitarian-essays.com in 2005. I made this graph in 2007 to try to illustrate his point visually.
Financial Crisis
US Financial Crisis: Who Killed the Economy?
The cause of the US financial crisis is simple. It’s debt. This is a very simple and graphical evidence-based explanation of what caused the collapse.
Health
Less REM Sleep Linked to Dementia
People who develop dementia spend an average of 17 percent of their sleep time in the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage, compared with 20 percent for those who did not develop dementia. Researchers found that for every 1% reduction in REM sleep, there was a 9% increase in risk of dementia.
Mental Illness
Less REM Sleep Linked to Dementia
People who develop dementia spend an average of 17 percent of their sleep time in the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage, compared with 20 percent for those who did not develop dementia. Researchers found that for every 1% reduction in REM sleep, there was a 9% increase in risk of dementia.