Comments on: The Controversial Obama Job Loss Visualization http://www.adamthody.com/2010/03/the-controversial-obama-job-loss-visualization/ Toronto Web Developer Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:01:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: dan http://www.adamthody.com/2010/03/the-controversial-obama-job-loss-visualization/comment-page-1/#comment-480 dan Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:24:01 +0000 http://www.adamthody.com/?p=292#comment-480 "And here’s the Unemployment, at an all time high! " So how does this mean that the rate of job loss has not significantly dropped since bush? And this is in fact a significant fact..and the chart seems to be accurate in that respect..But we obviously have to have net job gain to lower unemployment..also its not yet at an "all-time" high i believe..lets hope it doesnt get there and look like it probably wont likely largely thanks to the fact that bush is no longer president as the chart shows a hell of a coincidence otherwise “And here’s the Unemployment, at an all time high! ”

So how does this mean that the rate of job loss has not significantly dropped since bush? And this is in fact a significant fact..and the chart seems to be accurate in that respect..But we obviously have to have net job gain to lower unemployment..also its not yet at an “all-time” high i believe..lets hope it doesnt get there and look like it probably wont likely largely thanks to the fact that bush is no longer president as the chart shows a hell of a coincidence otherwise

]]> By: Patrick Keenan http://www.adamthody.com/2010/03/the-controversial-obama-job-loss-visualization/comment-page-1/#comment-478 Patrick Keenan Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:44:51 +0000 http://www.adamthody.com/?p=292#comment-478 That makes it a big clearer. I can definitely imagine it being a marketing department wanting the chart to "look" good, rather than representing the actual reality. But this is really bad, if we want to use charts to communicate we shouldn't distort them for fear of people understanding the wrong thing, that's just plain lying. In terms of the "truth" behind the chart, I really wonder. For example, here is the employment in the US, generally declining: http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=z1ebjpgk2654c1_&ctype=l&met_y=employed&hl=en_US&dl=en_US#ctype=l&met_y=employed&fdim_y=seasonality:U&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=state&tdim=true&tstart=1162339200000&tunit=M&tlen=39&hl=en_US&dl=en_US And here's the Unemployment, at an all time high! http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=z1ebjpgk2654c1_&ctype=l&met_y=unemployed&hl=en_US&dl=en_US#ctype=l&met_y=unemployed&fdim_y=seasonality:U&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=state&tdim=true&tstart=1154390400000&tunit=M&tlen=42&hl=en_US&dl=en_US I don't see how those two could cancel each other out and end up at a situation that is getting any better. I'm of course open to changing my mind, and want to change my mind. Obama's campaigning has been about transparency and accountability, but I just don't see how this chart is anywhere near accurate. That makes it a big clearer. I can definitely imagine it being a marketing department wanting the chart to “look” good, rather than representing the actual reality. But this is really bad, if we want to use charts to communicate we shouldn’t distort them for fear of people understanding the wrong thing, that’s just plain lying.

In terms of the “truth” behind the chart, I really wonder. For example, here is the employment in the US, generally declining:

http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=z1ebjpgk2654c1_&ctype=l&met_y=employed&hl=en_US&dl=en_US#ctype=l&met_y=employed&fdim_y=seasonality:U&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=state&tdim=true&tstart=1162339200000&tunit=M&tlen=39&hl=en_US&dl=en_US

And here’s the Unemployment, at an all time high!

http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=z1ebjpgk2654c1_&ctype=l&met_y=unemployed&hl=en_US&dl=en_US#ctype=l&met_y=unemployed&fdim_y=seasonality:U&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=state&tdim=true&tstart=1154390400000&tunit=M&tlen=42&hl=en_US&dl=en_US

I don’t see how those two could cancel each other out and end up at a situation that is getting any better. I’m of course open to changing my mind, and want to change my mind. Obama’s campaigning has been about transparency and accountability, but I just don’t see how this chart is anywhere near accurate.

]]> By: CrisisMaven http://www.adamthody.com/2010/03/the-controversial-obama-job-loss-visualization/comment-page-1/#comment-476 CrisisMaven Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:46:40 +0000 http://www.adamthody.com/?p=292#comment-476 This is a controversial argument - there is always an upper limit to growth curves, for elephants, for rain forests and for job losses (at least they can't e.g. exceed 100% and it's likely they'll stop much befre that). Also it should be noted that the Obama administration's macro economists predicted much less job losses by applying the stimulus and now the rate is already higher than they originally predicted absent that stimulus! What is worrying though is that the second leg down is still pending with the <a href="http://crisismaven.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/bloom-of-doom-ii-of-mortgage-brokers-arms-attrition-and-marathons/" rel="nofollow">variable mortgages resetting the next two years</a> probably precipitating a higher rate of foreclosures and defaults and bank failures than the subprime crisis caused. This might well <a href="http://crisismaven.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/bloom-of-doom-v-we-have-control-of-the-ship-we-have-a-plan/" rel="nofollow">drive the US into bankruptcy</a> and then even government employees, whose total has for the first time in US history exceeded private sector employment under the new administration, might be "furloughed". As for such suggestive visualisations: You might want to check out my <a href="http://crisismaven.wordpress.com/references/references-subjects-covered/data-structuring/data-visualisation-references/" rel="nofollow">Visualisation References</a> resource list, aspiring to be the most comprehensive on the net. If you miss anything that I might be able to find for you or if you yourself want to share a resource, please leave a comment. This is a controversial argument – there is always an upper limit to growth curves, for elephants, for rain forests and for job losses (at least they can’t e.g. exceed 100% and it’s likely they’ll stop much befre that). Also it should be noted that the Obama administration’s macro economists predicted much less job losses by applying the stimulus and now the rate is already higher than they originally predicted absent that stimulus! What is worrying though is that the second leg down is still pending with the variable mortgages resetting the next two years probably precipitating a higher rate of foreclosures and defaults and bank failures than the subprime crisis caused. This might well drive the US into bankruptcy and then even government employees, whose total has for the first time in US history exceeded private sector employment under the new administration, might be “furloughed”. As for such suggestive visualisations: You might want to check out my Visualisation References resource list, aspiring to be the most comprehensive on the net. If you miss anything that I might be able to find for you or if you yourself want to share a resource, please leave a comment.

]]>