| January 2009 | Today | % chg | Source | |
| Avg. retail price/gallon gas in U.S. | $1.83 | $3.104 | 69.6% | 1 |
| Crude oil, European Brent (barrel) | $43.48 | $99.02 | 127.7% | 2 |
| Crude oil, West TX Inter. (barrel) | $38.74 | $91.38 | 135.9% | 2 |
| Gold: London (per troy oz.) | $853.25 | $1,369.50 | 60.5% | 2 |
| Corn, No.2 yellow, Central IL | $3.56 | $6.33 | 78.1% | 2 |
| Soybeans, No. 1 yellow, IL | $9.66 | $13.75 | 42.3% | 2 |
| Sugar, cane, raw, world, lb. fob | $13.37 | $35.39 | 164.7% | 2 |
| Unemployment rate, non-farm, overall | 7.6% | 9.4% | 23.7% | 3 |
| Unemployment rate, blacks | 12.6% | 15.8% | 25.4% | 3 |
| Number of unemployed | 11,616,000 | 14,485,000 | 24.7% | 3 |
| Number of fed. employees, ex. military (curr = 12/10 prelim) | 2,779,000 | 2,840,000 | 2.2% | 3 |
| Real median household income (2008 v 2009) | $50,112 | $49,777 | -0.7% | 4 |
| Number of food stamp recipients (curr = 10/10) | 31,983,716 | 43,200,878 | 35.1% | 5 |
| Number of unemployment benefit recipients (curr = 12/10) | 7,526,598 | 9,193,838 | 22.2% | 6 |
| Number of long-term unemployed | 2,600,000 | 6,400,000 | 146.2% | 3 |
| Poverty rate, individuals (2008 v 2009) | 13.2% | 14.3% | 8.3% | 4 |
| People in poverty in U.S. (2008 v 2009) | 39,800,000 | 43,600,000 | 9.5% | 4 |
| U.S. rank in Economic Freedom World Rankings | 5 | 9 | n/a | 10 |
| Present Situation Index (curr = 12/10) | 29.9 | 23.5 | -21.4% | 11 |
| Failed banks (curr = 2010 + 2011 to date) | 140 | 164 | 17.1% | 12 |
| U.S. dollar versus Japanese yen exchange rate | 89.76 | 82.03 | -8.6% | 2 |
| U.S. money supply, M1, in billions (curr = 12/10 prelim) | 1,575.1 | 1,865.7 | 18.4% | 13 |
| U.S. money supply, M2, in billions (curr = 12/10 prelim) | 8,310.9 | 8,852.3 | 6.5% | 13 |
| National debt, in trillions | $10.627 | $14.052 | 32.2% | 14 |
Just take this last item: In the last two years we have accumulated national debt at a rate more than 27 times as fast as during the rest of our entire nation’s history.
Over 27 times as fast!
Metaphorically, speaking, if you are driving in the right lane doing 65 MPH and a car rockets past you in the left lane 27 times faster . . . it would be doing 1,755 MPH!
(1) U.S. Energy Information Administration; (2) Wall Street Journal; (3) Bureau of Labor Statistics; (4) Census Bureau; (5) USDA; (6) U.S. Dept. of Labor; (7) FHFA; (8) Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller; (9) RealtyTrac; (10) Heritage Foundation and WSJ; (11) The Conference Board; (12) FDIC; (13) Federal Reserve; (14) U.S. Treasury
WAKE UP, AMERICA
ReplyDelete~John D. Wyndham
I heard of you as a child in a far off land,
The stirrings of freedom in your star-spangled banner,
Whence came that burst of light and daring
To set a new nation on a world stage.
Your founding fathers, now remote but honored
For their high ideals, “All men created equal,”
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,”
Set a boundless horizon for the rugged pioneer.
True, you delivered the dream of many,
Untold wealth through individual endeavor
While still a nation of laws, though these bent at will,
By force of circumstance and human nature.
America, America, ‘tis of thee we sang,
In the morning of our hopes and longing,
“The shrine of liberty, defender of the poor and downtrodden,
Bulwark for human rights, the exceptional one!”
God bless America!
Thus spake the megaphones of media, the not-so-free press,
Pursuing its dreams through corporate power,
Not “government of, by, and for the people,”
But corporations are people too, they say.
Land of light and shadow, we are told to
Look only in the light. For in the shadow
Lurks the lynch mob, the red man, black man, and woman,
Struggling to be free in the land of the free.
Onward, through financial collapse, depression, and battle,
The bankers take control. A global empire,
Spreading its tentacles westward and into all lands,
By economic debt, assassination, intrigue and war.
The secret team is born, implementer of presidential fate,
The luminaries of your land terminated
Before their dreams are realized,
But still the dreams go on.
God save America!
And now your bloated military industrial complex, waging war
At will, through shabby and transparent attacks
On weaker nations, as well as on your own people
By false event, demolition and dust.
Your propaganda intones its ceaseless sewage,
Torture becomes you, corruption consumes you,
The resource prize is fixed in your greedy eyes,
You are become amoral and cruel – your lies abound.
Your once brave citizens, ignorant and exploited,
Cringe from knowledge of your crimes:
“Sweet fool’s paradise, in thee I abide,
Lest truth break my apathetic stupor in its stride.”
America, America, where have you gone?
Were you but a fable, a hope forlorn?
Rouse you, awake! Face the fact,
The American criminal enterprise is here and now intact!
God help America!
The people are a mighty force, which once aroused
Cannot be stopped. For like a valiant army they,
They speak the truth in common ways,
Their truth is marching on.
Lift up your eyes, your heart and mind,
Discern their truths of every kind,
While some yet sleep, still others wake,
Their voices raise a mighty quake
Whose tremors signal the coming change,
The change that sets us free. Free from fear
That cripples men. Free from fear of those
Who say they’ll keep us safe,
But only take our rights away.
The die is cast, we can’t turn back,
O’er ramparts of our minds unmask
The foe who hides behind the lie.
“In God, Truth, is our trust!”
Thank you, ACR, for sharing that poem.
ReplyDeleteI worked near Lower Manhattan for several years, and my office had a direct view of the Statue Of Liberty. Sometimes when I was sad about events that were so contrary to the ideals I was taught growing up, I couldn't bear the sight and had to flip the blinds shut.
But never for very long...
Let's look at what gasoline cost during George W. Bush's last year.
ReplyDeletehttp://66.70.86.64/ChartServer/ch.gaschart?Country=Canada&Crude=f&Period=36&Areas=USA%20Average,,&Unit=US%20$/G
So, I guess we can credit Obama with lowering gas prices from 2008.
The fact is, these kinds of comparisons are generally useless. You need to look at the REAL issues, and what's being done. Obama inherited a wreck from Bush. He's doing what he can to repair the damage. Having a GOP-led obstructionist House, along with a GOP Senate minority that filibusters EVERYTHING pretty much has impeded our recovery.
That said, we're still getting better. It's just happening slower than it should due to your GOP pals.
Yeah yeah sure Bob...nice to see that no matter what you continue to defend the terminally silly.
ReplyDeleteShall we expect a splashy piece about Suzy soon?
(Never mind the financial irregularities she left behind or the fact that her successor's endorsed Murphy.)