A pandemic is no time to play political games when people are dying.
Mitch McConnell refused Federal aid to states that were Democrat, calling it a ‘Blue State Bailout’.
“Mr. Cuomo accused Mr. McConnell of hyperpartisanship, criticizing him for distinguishing among states based on their political leanings, rather than “states where people are dying. Why don’t we think about that? Not red and blue. Red, white and blue. They’re just Americans dying.”
DemLabs analyzed which states really gave the most in taxes to the Federal government and which took the most.
Process
1. We use data from the Rockefeller Institute of Government on how much money each state received and paid the Federal government.
2. This information was mapped using ArcGIS to create a state-by-state map. This map can be freely shared with this link.
3. This map can also be embedded in a website with this line of code:
<style>.embed-container {position: relative; padding-bottom: 80%; height: 0; max-width: 100%;} .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container iframe{position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;} small{position: absolute; z-index: 40; bottom: 0; margin-bottom: -15px;}</style><div class=”embed-container”>//a%20href=</div>
4. We also created a web app that’s convenient to access by phone. We used bit.ly (a free ap) to create a short URL that’s easy to remember for the app: bit.ly/giveandtakestates
5. ArcGIS automatically checks to make sure that the app displays well on different phones and also generates a QR Code. Scan the QR code with your phone and the app launches automatically. A Senate bulletin board could benefit from this code to make sure our beloved senators get their facts straight.
6. A StoryMap was created to provide a narrative to the map along with a call to action (“Call Mitch“). The StoryMap includes news headlines, photos and videos which are recognized in the Credit section. A StoryMap can be refreshed with new information at any time. See and share the Giver & Takes StoryMap with this link.
Free, innovative software makes it easier to quickly transform data into a story that’s easy to understand and share.
Take away
Bring the truth to life through visual stories with the free StoryMaps app. Learn more here.
Deepak
Co-Founder, DemLabs
