Factoids

"48 percent of all Americans
are either considered to be "low income" or are living in poverty.

Approximately 57 percent of all children in the United States
are living in homes that are either considered to be "low income"
or impoverished.

If the number of Americans that "wanted jobs"
was the same today as it was back in 2007,
the "official" unemployment rate put out by the U.S. government
would be up to 11 percent.

The average amount of time that a worker stays unemployed in the United States
is now over 40 weeks.

There are fewer payroll jobs in the United States today
than there were back in 2000
even though we have added 30 million extra people to the population since then.

Since December 2007, median household income in the United States
has declined by a total of 6.8% once you account for inflation.

16.6 million Americans were self-employed back in December 2006.

Today, that number has shrunk to 14.5 million.

Back in 1969, 95 percent of all men between the ages of 25 and 54 had a job.

In July, only 81.2 percent of men in that age group had a job.

one out of every three Americans
would not be able to make a mortgage or rent payment next month
if they suddenly lost their current job.

the ratio of household debt to personal income in the United States is now 154 percent.

...the median price of a home in Detroit is now just $6000.

...18 percent of all homes in the state of Florida are sitting vacant.

...19 percent of all American men between the ages of 25 and 34 are now living with their parents.

Electricity bills in the United States
have risen faster than the overall rate of inflation for five years in a row.

...health care costs accounted for just 9.5% of all personal consumption back in 1980.

Today they account for approximately 16.3%.

...approximately 41 percent of all working age Americans
either have medical bill problems or are currently paying off medical debt.

...The United States spends about 4 dollars on goods and services from China
for every one dollar that China spends on goods and services from the United States.

It is being projected that the U.S. trade deficit for 2011 will be 558.2 billion dollars.

...46 percent of all American workers have less than $10,000 saved for retirement,
and 29 percent of all American workers have less than $1,000 saved for retirement.

...CEO pay at America's biggest companies rose by 36.5% in just one recent 12 month period.

...The total assets of the six largest U.S. banks increased by 39 percent
between September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2011.

...the median net worth for households led by someone 65 years of age or older
is 47 times greater than the median net worth
for households led by someone under the age of 35.

...one out of every seven Americans is on food stamps
and one out of every four American children is on food stamps.

In 1980, government transfer payments accounted for just 11.7% of all income.

Today, government transfer payments account for more than 18 percent of all income.

...48.5% of all Americans live in a household
that receives some form of government benefits.

Back in 1983, that number was below 30 percent.

...spending by the federal government accounts for about 24 percent of GDP.

Back in 2001, it accounted for just 18 percent.

...the U.S. government has now accumulated a total debt of 15 trillion dollars.

When Barack Obama first took office the national debt was just 10.6 trillion dollars."