"The More the Merrier" May Not Be the Case When it Comes to Health Care
When I was a child I truly believed that money would simply always be there. I wasn't starving, and I didn't want to, or need to, understand who was paying for my meals and the roof over my head. My parents weren't rich, but I had everything I needed, including a Doctor who could help me when I was sick.
But after reading an article on the New York Times I was taken right back to thinking about this way I used to think as a child. It was blissfully ignorant, and why would I want to question it? It almost seems this is the same way public opinion has taken towards the new Health Care bill. (If you needed to brush up on the climate and basics surrounding Health Care like I did, I'd suggest this compilation of coverage.) The graphic shows a very clear and simple chart outlining government spending over time, and also highlights government revenue, making it obvious that given current expenditures there's no way we can keep up.
Like Riding a Bicycle
Here's what the chart does right.
- A simple and coherent color scheme
- Large Font
- Titled and Labeled
Put the Training Wheels Back On
Of course it isn't all perfect.
- It's message becomes a bit confusing
- The most important information is the least highlighted
- Counter-acts its own message at first glance
This all brings me back to another younger memory. Learning about graphs. No matter my age, the one's I always want to see are simple, to the point, and not overly obnoxious, but enough to stand out against the text. As a reader I actually avoided this article the first time I read it because I believed the graph stated the exact opposite of what it was actually saying! If that isn't misleading or bad form when it comes to good graphics, then I'm certainly not qualified to tell you what is.
And everyone likes to end on a good laugh, so don't just take it from me, the journalists over at the onion do a fantastic job of outlining the true power of graphics.
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