Intensity in ten cities!

I dunno about sales tax, but the US government "makes" as much currency as it wants to through the Treasury, Fed, and banks (who also own the Fed.) They could make as much as one could want...they just don't want to...all at once anyways. It is a train wreck in slow motion with debt/GDP levels reaching levels only a person ignorant or in denial could be content with. Sure, the government does provide services. Just ask an old-timer if the food industry should regulate itself entirely. Otherwise, the government doesn't make or produce goods in any substantial fraction relative to services and contracts funded by their infinite amount of currency.

Plenty of hate to be had for Wal-Mart, but more useful to understand how we got here, why here is difficult to change, and the difference between price and value, currency and money, and so on.

To OPs beautiful-ish data, a more helpful visualization might be the cascade of taxes collected by the US and appropriated into goods and services paid to employees of $100b+ market cap companies that don't provide enough compensation for such essential-for-staying-alive goods and services.

Gotta stop this rant. Cheers.

How did you get all those posters!?

Would love to see this with video games. Maybe together with movies...

How difficult would it be to adjust per capita and global population in meaningful ways? I imagine they'd have to be weighted.

Lower Michigan and Arizona look relatively stable.

Consider a weekly or 52 week representation and overlaying other parameters.