Friday, April 25, 2008

By the Numbers

  from Jim Hightower: 


The economy under the current "adminstration'.                     2001         2008

EARNING
Median pre-tax household income                                           $49,158        $48,201
decrease for African American households under Bush                                 $2,766
decrease for Asian American households                                                          $1,381
decrease for Hispanic households                                                                      $1,043
decrease for white households                                                                               $745

WORKING
Salary of full-time minimum-wage earner in 2007                                       $12,168
Increase in productivity of American workers under Bush                                 18%
Increase in real earnings of American workers under Bush                                   9%
Total # manufacturing jobs                                                  17.3 million     14.2 million
National unemployment rate                                                            3.5%                 5%
Number unemployed Americans                                          5.6 million        7.7 million
Number including discouraged or underemployed             9.9 million     13.5 million

LIVING
Americans living in poverty                                                  31.6 million     36.5 million
Americans going hungry according to USDA                       31 million        38.2million
Cost of a gallon of milk                                                                          $3               $3.79
Cost of a loaf of bread                                                                       $.98                $1.32
Rent, 2-bedroom home, Los Angeles (month)                         $1,658              $2,229
Rent, 1-bedroom home, Boston (month)                                  $1,453              $2,000
Total consumer credit debt                                                 $7.65 trillion   $12.8 trillion
Personal savings rate                                                                     +2.3%                 -0.5%

HOMEOWNERS & RENTERS
Increase in number of home foreclosures from 2006                                     68%
Households currently at high risk of foreclosure                                         2 million
Households paying more than half their income for housing                    13 million
Households unable to afford
even the lowest-priced home rentals
in the U.S.
                      2.8 million

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