For the last 3 years, Jess Bachman has dedicated his personal time and energies on creating an absolutely incredible graph he calls "Death and Taxes" aka: "DAT".

on his website, Death and Taxes: A Visual Guide to Where Your Federal Tax Dollars Go he explains what exactly "DAT" is, he says "Death and Taxes is a representational poster of the federal discretionary budget; the amount of money that is spent at the discretion of your elected representatives in Congress. Basically, your federal income taxes. The data is from the President's budget request for 2008. It will be debated, amended, and approved by Congress by October 1st to begin the fiscal year.

The poster provides a uniquely revealing look at our national priorities, that fluctuate yearly, according to the wishes of the President, the power of Congress, and the will of the people. If you pay taxes, then you have paid for a small part of everything in the poster."

and then he asks the question:

"So now you know what you've paid for, the next question to ask, is why?"

Clearly, his dedication in terms of time spent marketing and managing this poster/website/blog are obvious in the remarkable response he's received to such hard work. what's more, the intricate way he weaves the budget information into an artistic form...well, how often have we seen anything like this?

in terms of the information he's provided being accurate, well.. he explains how he gets the information he uses, his sources (some of them) and what's amazing, is if you e-mail him with questions..or comments, he actually replies! and answers your question! and is extremely polite, respectful and intriguing.. even if he disagrees with a comment you've made.

the poster itself, is incredible to look at. on his website, he offers various views and zooms of his hard work, and as well.. allows anyone interested to purchase the poster for themselves. he also gives you the option of sending a copy of the poster to your members of congress...
i've got a copy of his DAT 2007.. and it's absolutely amazing, and looks absolutely wonderful framed on a wall.. i've only seen DAT 2008 on the website, but excuse me for being blunt when i say "holy [crap]"..

it's incredible.

anyhow i've rambled enough...
go check it out..
and buy one, if it interests you to do so!