Calculators

Who says balancing a budget can't be fun and games? An interactive calculator application can allow users to see consequences of personal or government decisions that they may not have been aware of.

Oil Leak Widget

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/05/how-much-oil-has-spilled-in-the-gulf-of-mexico.html

PBS Newshour

Developers at PBS Newshour have created a free, constantly-updated widget for anyone to use on his/her website or blog. No one knows for sure how much oil has leaked into the Gulf of Mexico since the explosion of Deepwater Horizon, an oil rig owned by British Petroleum, on April 22, 2010. But this tool uses estimates provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, outside experts and BP itself to keep a running tally of gallons leaked into the Gulf.

The NYC Budget Game

http://www.gothamgazette.com/budgetgame/budgetgame.html

The Gotham Gazette is behind this interactive game that lets visitors balance New York’s $44.5 billion budget. Starting with the city’s current $3.8 million deficit, users add percentage points to specific taxes and remove money from specific expenditures until the deficit becomes a surplus. Pop-up windows let users know when new taxes are going to get you in trouble with voters, state leaders or even the federal government. After playing, users can compare their budget to the mayor’s with a handy pie chart, submit their proposed budget to The Gazette and talk about the game on the site’s message boards.

Austin American-Satesman's "Budget Game" (Registration Required)

http://www.statesman.com/insight/content/norails/budget_game

The 78th Texas Legislature is looking at a $9.9 billion gap between the state’s expected revenue and what Texas must spend to maintain existing programs. Readers get a chance to play lawmaker and fill that gap through a mix of spending cuts and new taxes. The budget exercise builds in a political cost for each choice. Being in favor of a tax on food, for instance, would increase a public relations liability that could affect a politicians reelection. The trick is to fill the gap but keep your job.

Seattle Times "Ax and Tax"

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/local/links/axtax/

“Last year, we asked you to try your hand at solving the state’s worst budget shortfall in decades. Guess what? The problem is bigger now.” So says the introduction to the Seattle Times’ latest web-based calculator. As the title implies, you choose what to cut from the budget and what to tax additionally to fix a $2.45 billion state budget shortfall. Be careful, though, as pop-up windows in response to your choices will warn you that people won’t lose their cherished programs without a fight, and that Washington voters are none to fond of taxes. The Times plans to compile the data submitted by visitors into an article about budget priorities.

2003 Minnesota Public Radio Budget Balancer

http://news.mpr.org/features/2003/03/10_newsroom_budgetsim/

Batten Award

Minnesota Public Radio invites you to be governor for a day and try to solve the state’s $4.2 billion tax deficit in this Batten Award-winning project. The budget balancer offers a wide array of choices for balancing the budget, including across the board spending cuts, increasing property taxes, cutting specific programs, and delaying payments. The balancer even gives you comments on your choices, warning you about potential political and economic fallout that could result from your decisions. Choose carefully.

2005 Minnesota Public Radio Budget Balancer

http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/2005/03/budget/

In a follow-up to its 2003 game, MPR once again invites users to step into the governor’s shoes and do battle with a $4.6 billion deficit. A slick, simplified Flash interface puts state budget options on a single screen and instantly reflects players’ spending or revenue choices on its scoreboard. Users can now also write in why they chose to cut or add spending to a particular category, generating possible reporting opportunities.

Seattle Times "You Build It" Transportation Project Calculator

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/local/links/transportationgame/calculator/

You decide which projects should go in the budget and which should just go away with this interactive Seattle Times form. You get to choose the level of funding for a variety of transportation and transit “megaprojects,” such as building HOV lanes, renovating highways, and setting up new bus and rail stations. Then you have to allocate new taxes to pay for them all. You can also submit your (hopefully) balanced budget to the paper for use in a future story about transportation solutions.

Chicago Tribune - The Mercury Menace

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/broadband/chi-mercury-htmlstory,0,3799369.htmlstory

After the Tribune’s testing showed that seafood for sale in Chicago area stores was tainted by mercury, it created this interactive package to explain the problem and the potential risks. After a video introduction explaining the potential dangers, users can read a three part series on the issue, take a survey on their seafood eating habits, post their thoughts, and use the Tribune Fish Mercury Calculator to see how much fish they can eat safely.

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