The Latest Economic Numbers

by Leigh Graham · 2009-04-08 12:00:00 UTC
Topics:

From Continental Packaging SolutionsIt's ugly out there.  And I'm not talking only about the 1 in 10 on food stamps, or the 8.5 - 15% unemployment rate, depending on your measurements.

I'm talking about the FDIC's gamble on Geithner with our $$, the number of Refund Anticipation Loans on Indian reservations, grandparents raising grandkids, housing the chronically homeless and alcoholic, and pallets galore.

0 - Losses expected by the FDIC in insuring Geithner's Public-Private Plan (a.k.a. TARP II).  Color me skeptical.

$1 - of scrip, or local currency, a Berkshires region resident gets for 95 cents, to use in local stores as a means to help cash-strapped municipalities, shops and customers.  Another Depression-Era innovation enjoying a comeback these days!

6 - U.S. Counties with Indian Reservations that are among the places with the most low-income taxpayers losing portions of their return to costly refund anticipation loans;

6 - number of bills under consideration in the Montana state legislature concerning grandparents' custodial rights;

9 - people living in a 600 square foot apartment in Las Vegas as tenants crowd in to make ends meet;

30 - Upper end estimate of percentage increase of library patrons in recent years as the jobless and homeless crowd in for services, warmth and a respite from the harsh realities of our current economy;

57 - Percent of Americans who are willing to pay higher taxes in order to provide universal health coverage;

58 - Percent of Americans who disapprove of Obama's financial crisis policies; Color me not surprised.

70 - Years, at least, that farm workers have been fighting for and waiting for their legal rights;

87 - Percent of low-income children living in older, possibly substandard housing in Rhode Island, the worst rate in the nation, according to the advocacy group Kids Count;

90 - Percent of cases mishandled by the Labor Department's bureau responsible for enforcing minimum wage, overtime and other fair pay rules, according to the government's General Accountability Office;

2,100 - Cases of mortgage fraud under investigation by the FBI as vultures swoop in to scam households facing foreclosure;

$4,000,000 - saved in one year by Seattle taxpayers from providing chronically homeless alcoholics a permanent place to live;

$1,000,000,000,000 - What a trillion dollars looks like.

Leigh Graham
PREVIOUS STORY:
On NIMBYism and Mythical Welfare Queens
NEXT STORY:
Sallie Mae Blinks!

COMMENTS (2)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.