David Leonhardt at the NYT proves that reporters can put budget numbers in context (also see the graph). He shows how large the current estimates of Iraq war related spending are relative to more mundane items such as providing universal health care coverage. Imagine if budget reporting (and war reporting) placed a priority on placing numbers in context so that readers had some idea what they were talking about.

–Dean Baker

Dean Baker is senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C. He is the author of several books, including Rigged: How Globalization and the Rules of the Modern Economy Were Structured to Make the Rich Richer. Read more about Dean.