Revealing Statistics: America in Decline
Subtitle: Present Costs of the War against God
This page is only one of 18 sections of an extensive collection of statistics testifying to the above. See and read the main page here with the Table of Contents, by God's grace.
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Sec. 15 |
Finances (some are repetitions of data from other categories, and most figures are approximate.) |
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NATIONAL TAXES, SPENDING AND DEBT |
NATIONAL TAXES, SPENDING AND DEBT
By June 2009 the U.S. national debt was over 11 trillion dollars, and growing at $3.82 billion per day. each citizen's share of this debt was $37,231.31. http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
As of Aug. 08 2011, the national debt was at $14.5 trillion, but with $211 trillion in unfunded liabilities. http://www.christianpost.com/news/whats-the-real-national-debt-211000000000000-53525/
As of Sept 6. 2012, the national debt was over $16 trillion, The estimated population of the United States is 313,455,377, so each citizen's share of this debt is $51,091.16. The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $3.88 billion per day since September 28, 2007 http://brillig.com/debt_clock/
After accounting for the U.S. government's public debt, federal employee pensions and other retirement benefits, current and expected obligations for Social Security and Medicare, the National Center for Policy Analysis said the U.S. federal government faces unfunded liabilities totaling $84 trillion. http://www.ncpa.org/pdfs/st338.pdf; http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/08/fiscal_failure.html
Using the Congressional Budget Office’s realistic long-term budget forecast, Laurence Kotlikoff (an economist at Boston University), estimates the full national debt is $222 trillion ($700,000 per person; $1.9 million per household).
According to former U.S. Comptroller, David Walker, the U.S. national debt is growing at a rate of $10 million ($10,000,000.00) per minute. http://keepingamericagreat.org/10-million-a-minute-tour/
In a decade [2022], federal spending to pay for the interest on America's debt will exceed total spending on the defense budget by $125 billion, or 20 percent, according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Budget Management. The projections are based on President Barack Obama's current budget plan. http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/payments-interest-exceed-defense-spending-125-billion_657230.html
If current trends continue, the U.S. will become operationally bankrupt in 2037 and will be actually bankrupt in 2047. http://www.redstate.com/2012/09/04/our-irresponsible-and-unpatriotic-16-trillion-national-debt/
The National Debt rose $4.899 trillion during the two terms of the Bush presidency. It was $10.626 trillion on President Bush's last day in office. It has now gone up $4.939 trillion [5.5 trillion — 50% — as of Sept. 2012] since President Obama took office. The National Debt also now exceeds 100% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product, the total value of goods and services. The Debt has now increased more during President Obama's three years and two months in office than it did during 8 years of the George W. Bush presidency. Mark Knoller, 2012 CBS Interactive Inc, March 19, 2012; http://www.cbsnews.com/2102-503544_162-57400369.html
If Mr. Obama wins re-election, and his budget projections prove accurate, the National Debt will top $20 trillion in 2016, the final year of his second term. That would mean the Debt increased by 87 percent, or $9.34 trillion, during his two terms. ^
Based on to the historical tables published by the Presidents Office of Management and Budget, the three fiscal years of 2010, 2011, and 2012 are three of the only four fiscal years since the Japanese surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945, that the federal government has spent more than 24 percent of GDP. The fourth fiscal year since the end of World War II in which the federal government spent more than 24 percent of GDP was 2009. That fiscal year started when George W. Bush was president and ended when Obama was president. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-i-ve-been-president-federal-spending-has-risen-lowest-pace-nearly-60-years; cf. http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-250_162-10008800-5.html?tag=page
According to the U.S. Treasury, foreign governments and investors now hold some $2.23 Trillion - or about 44% of all publicly held U.S. Debt (2007), the first being Japan ($586 billion), then China ($400 billion), and then Britain ($244 billion). Saudi Arabia and other oil-exporting countries account for $123 billion. U.S. Treasury. right 2007 The Associated Press. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-12-03-debt_N.htm
As of 1994, the Federal Reserve estimated that of the approximately $365 billion of American currency in circulation, 60 percent was held somewhere outside the country. L. Reichard White http://www.usagold.com/gildedopinion/bigfloat.html
In 1954 [during the beginning of the “cold war”] defense spending was 70 percent of federal spending while "human resources" was 19 percent. In 2003, defense was 19 percent with human resources accounting for 66 percent. The Next Economy By Robert J. Samuelson Wednesday, December 29, 2004; Page A19. &; 2004 The Washington Post Company. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32610-2004Dec28.html
In the post-war era, federal spending as a percentage of the U.S. economy has hovered around 20 percent, give or take a couple of percentage points. Under Obama, it has hit highs not seen since the end of World War II. http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/how-much-ivory-does-tower-need-what-we-spend-get-higher-education
The 10% of households with the highest incomes pay over 50% of all federal taxes. They pay more than 70% of federal income taxes, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Associated Press; http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/taxes/story/2011-09-20/buffett-tax-millionaires/50480226/1
In 2009, taxpayers who made $1 million or more paid on average 24.4% of their income in federal income taxes, according to the IRS. Those making $100,000 to $125,000 paid on average 9.9% in federal income taxes, while those making $50,000 to $60,000 paid an average of 6.3%. ^
In 2011 households making more than $1 million will pay an average 29.1% of their income in federal taxes, including income taxes, payroll taxes and other taxes, according to the Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank. Households making between $50,000 and $75,000 will pay an average of 15% of their income in federal taxes, while those households making between $40,000 and $50,000 would pay an average of 12.5% of their income in federal taxes, and those households making between $20,000 and $30,000 would pay 5.7%. Individuals who make most of their money in wages pay taxes at a higher rate, while those who get most of their income from investments pay at lower rates. ^
Only 50.5 percent of Americans pay federal income tax. http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-about-the-majority-of-americans-2012-3#the-majority-of-americans-are-over-30-america-has-the-42nd-highest-median-age-in-the-world-1
In 2011 income fell for the top 5 percent of households 1.2 percent to $180,810. The bottom fifth of households — those making $20,000 or less — saw incomes decline 4 percent. Since 2000, the median income for America's middle class has fallen from $72,956 to $69,487. The “Middle class" makes up about 51 percent of U.S. adults, down from 61 percent in 1971. 44 percent of the Middle class blame the Bush administration and 34 percent fault the Obama administration. 52 percent say President Barack Obama's policies in a second term would help the middle class, versus 42 percent who say that electing Republican challenger Mitt Romney would help them. http://pewsocialtrends.org; http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/22/middle-class-share-america-income-shrinking/
Government outlays intended to hold down the price of a college degree have ballooned, in inflation-adjusted dollars, from $29.6 billion in 1985 to $139.7 billion in 2010: an increase of 372 percent since Ronald Reagan's day.
total federal aid intended to hold down the price of a college degree have soared by more than $100 billion in the space of a single decade -- from $64 billion in 2000 to $169 billion in 2010. Jeff Jacoby, The Boston Globe
April 29, 2012 http://www.jeffjacoby.com/11618/the-government-college-money-pit
Health and Human Services made up the single largest part of the 2012 budget. http://www.federalbudget.com/; http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=1258 [disdaining the Word of God and supplanting it with the perverse morality and social engineering of Secular Humanism (or with other false religions) has cost America and the world incredibly in monetary realms. Most wars are begun as a result of man's lust for power and which would not be if men yielded to Christ, and obedience to Biblical morals would also eliminate such things as STD's as well as the results of other “hurtful lusts” (1Tim., 6:9), which costs souls now and will do so in the hereafter. Only when one volitionally receives the Lord Jesus and His salvation will one find the spiritual life that alone can truly change the heart, and enable one to follow Christ. And which salvation and sanctification works to the benefit of a country, in temporal terms as well as spiritual. ”Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD” (Ps. 144:15).]
Medicaid is now the largest government health care program, costing federal and state governments $259 billion in FY 2002--surpassing the cost of Medicare, which was $257 billion, for the first time ever. Honorable Thomas A. Scully before the Subcommittee on Health http://www.heritage.org/research/features/issues2004/medicaid.cfm#FF
U.S. health care spending is expected to increase at similar levels for the next decade reaching $4.2 TRILLION in 2016, or 20 percent of GDP. Poisal, J.A., et al, Health Spending Projections Through 2016: Modest Changes Obscure Part D’s Impact. Health Affairs (21 February 2007): W242-253.
In 1960, 52 percent of federal spending went for defense, 26 percent for "payments for individuals." By 2008, 61 percent consisted of "payments for individuals," 21 percent for defense. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/21/AR2009062101792.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Starting in 1964, the U.S. has spent an estimated $16 trillion trying to help the less well-off. http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/579547/201107261841/Govt-Racks-Up-Another-Failure.htm
45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are now seeking compensation for injuries they claim are service-related. That is more than twice the estimated 21 percent who filed such claims after the Gulf War in the early 1990s. Almost one-third have been granted disability. The new veterans are also claiming eight to nine ailments on average. Vietnam veterans currently receiving compensation average less than four, while World War II and Korea veterans average two. More than 95 percent of troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan have survived. Associated Press, 5-27-12; http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2888585/posts
Official unemployment under President Obama has averaged a record 8.8%. Under George W. Bush the jobless rate averaged 5.3% and was at 6.8% in the month his party lost the 2008 election. Job seekers now are only one-third as likely to find a job compared with before Mr. Obama was elected. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444873204577537232812750926.html#printMode
Approximately 53 percent of all U.S. college graduates under the age of 25 were either unemployed or underemployed in 2011. http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/37-statistics-which-show-how-four-years-of-obama-have-wrecked-the-u-s-economy
According to a report from the National Employment Law Project, 58 percent of the jobs that have been created since the end of the recession have been low paying jobs.
During President Obama's first term, the number of Americans "not in the labor force" rose to 8,332,000 persons. That far exceeds any previous four year total. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/first-term-americans-not-labor-force-increased-8332000
The United States has cut more than 300,000 education jobs since June 2009 due to budget cuts and financial problems, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/08/20/257171/us-cuts-300000-education-jobs/#.UDP9b6PN2Q5
The unemployment figure was 8.1% as of 9-7, 2012, based on people who have actively applied for a job in the past four weeks. 40.7% (5.2 million) of the people counted as unemployed have been out of work for 27 weeks or more (“long-term” unemployed). Fewer Americans are at work today than in April 2000, even though the population since then has grown by 31 million. Mortimer Zuckerman, Those Jobless Numbers Are Even Worse Than They Look September 7, 2012; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444873204577537232812750926.html#printMode
The average American family’s net worth has dropped 40% over the past five years. ^
In 2012 the federal government will spend $100 billion in direct and indirect subsidies to businesses and private- sector corporate entities (commonly referred to as "corporate welfare") up from $92 billion in fiscal year 2006. http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/corporate-welfare-federal-budget; http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/corporate-welfare-state-how-federal-government-subsidizes-us-businesses
The unemployment rate is closer to 19% if the eight million who are no longer looking for employment are included. Mortimer Zuckerman ,Unemployment Is Still the Biggest Election Issue, July 23, 2012; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444873204577537232812750926.html#printMode
49.1 percent of the US population that lives in a household where at least one member received some type of government benefit in the first quarter of 2011, up from 30% in the early 1980s and 44.4% as recently as the third quarter of 2008. As of early 2011, 15% of people lived in a household that received food stamps, 26% had someone enrolled in Medicaid and 2% had a member receiving unemployment benefits. The Census data show that 16% of the population lives in a household where at least one member receives Social Security and 15% receive or live with someone who gets Medicare. There is likely a lot of overlap. http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/05/26/number-of-the-week-half-of-u-s-lives-in-household-getting-benefits/
When the food stamp program was first expanded nationally in the 1970s, just 1 in 50 Americans participated. The 2002 Farm Bill expanded eligibility to noncitizens, made it easier to enroll, increased benefits for families with more children, and adjusted benefits for inflation. The 2008 Farm Bill further eased eligibility requirements, and included higher minimum benefits. Spending after changes in eligibility grew by $185 billion between 2002 and 2008. The 2009 stimulus bill scrapped limits on SNAP benefits to adults without children and raised the maximum benefit by 13.6 percent through 2014. About 20% of the $198 billion growth in between 2009 and 2011 can be attributed to the new eligibility standards, and thus they will not go away once the economy recovers. Veronique de Rugy, “The great Bush-Obama food stamp expansion,” The Washington Examiner, June 28, 2012 http://washingtonexaminer.com/the-great-bush-obama-food-stamp-expansion/article/2500895 ^
An estimated 45 million Americans received food stamps in 2011,at a cost of $78 billion. That is more than a 200% increase in money from just five years ago when 26 million people received benefits at a cost of $33 billion. Some 70 percent of the nearly $1 trillion Farm Bill recently passed by the Senate will be spent on food stamps, representing $770 billion over 10 years.^
15% of the population now receive food stamps, compared with the 7.9% participation from 1970-2000, and has been rising at a rate of 400,000 per month over the past four years [2012]. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444273704577635681206305056.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_opinion#printMode
During February 2010, 1 in 8 Americans were enrolled for food stamps. Since reaching 31.78 million in December 2008, enrollment in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has set a record each month. USDA estimates enrollment for fiscal year 2010, which ends Sept 30, is expected to average 40.5 million people, at a cost of up to $59 billion. Average enrollment for fiscal 2011 is predicted to be 43.3 million people. Reuters, “Food-stamp tally nears 40 million, sets record,” May 7, 2010
The Congressional Budget Office said Thursday that 45 million people in 2011 received SNAP benefits, a 70% increase from 2007. The CBO projected that one in seven U.S. residents received food stamps last year. http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/04/19/food-stamp-rolls-to-grow-through-2014-cbo-says/?mod=e2tw
June 2012: The number of people in America (including noncitizens) receiving food stamps has increasing by 44 percent since President Obama took office in January 2009. Those receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program numbered 46.37 million, meaning about 15% of Americans were on food stamps. There were fewer than 31 million people on food stamps as recently as November 2008, but an aggressive effort by President Obama's administration has helped build participation. http://www.nbcnews.com/business/report-15-americans-food-stamps-980690
During the years 2009-2012, the number of Americans on food stamps increased by an average of about 11,000 per day. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/first-term-food-stamp-recipients-increased-11133-day-under-obama
On Nov. 7, 2012, one day after the 2012 election, USDA reported that 47.1 million Americans were receiving food stamps, a new all time record, and with the monthly increase of 420,947 from July being the biggest monthly increase in one year. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-11-10/foodstamps-surge-most-one-year-new-all-time-record-delayed-release
The USDA dedicated $5 million in 2011 to “improve access to and increase participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Oregon was the winner of the $5 million performance bonus for being the best at ensuring that people eligible for food benefits receive them, and a second recognition for its swift processing of applications. http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2011/04/usda-spends-5-mil-to-recruit-food-stamp-recipients/ http://cms.oregon.egov.com/DHS/news/2011news/2011-0928.pdf?ga=t
The number of businesses approved to accept food stamps grew by a third from 2005 to 2010, U.S. Department of Agriculture records show, as vendors from convenience and dollar discount stores to gas stations and pharmacies increasingly joined the growing entitlement program. “Restaurants want a piece of food stamp pie,” USA TODAY, Money, 9/7/2011
20% of Americans (60.8 million) depend [in part or full?] on government for their daily housing, food and health care. On average, those on government assistance receive more than four times as much taxpayers' money per year (approx. $26,150)- as they would have in 1962, adjusting for inflation. The Heritage Foundation Index of Dependence shows a 12-fold increase from the period of during the Kennedy administration. The rate of dependency increased 31 percent over the past eight years. Heritage Foundation, “The 2009 Index of Dependence on Government,” March 4, 2010 http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2010/03/the%202009%20index%20of%20dependence%20on%20government
As of January 2012, the federal government was mailing out disability checks to more than 10.5 million individuals. Since mid-2010 the number of people with disabilities has risen by 1.5 million. All of them dropped out of the labor force and are no longer counted as unemployed. Around 5.3 percent of the population between the ages of 25 and 64 is currently collecting federal disability payments, a jump from 4.5 percent since the economy slid into a recession. Mental-illness claims, in particular, are surging. During the recent economic boom, only 33 percent of applicants were claiming mental illness, but that figure has jumped to 43 percent after Obama was elected, preliminary research shows. NY. Post., Jobless disability claims soar to record $200B as of January, February 19, 2012; http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/mikeshedlock/2012/02/21/newest_government_magic_trick_disability_fraud_holds_down_unemployment_rate_disability_hits_record_200b/page/full/
During President Obama's first term, the number of Americans collecting federal disability insurance rose by more than 18 percent. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/first-term-americans-collecting-disability-increased-1385418-now-1-each-13-full-time
In just the first four months of 2012, 539,000 joined the disability rolls and more than 725,000 put in applications. As a result, by April there were a total of 10.8 million people on disability, [SSI and SSDI?] according to Social Security Administration data, a 53% increase from a decade ago, after accounting for all those who've left the program (about 700,000 drop out each year, mainly because they reached retirement age or died. http://news.investors.com/article/608418/201204200802/ssdi-disability-rolls-skyrocket-under-obama.htm?p=full Also see http://www.akdart.com/poverty.html
A record 5.4 million workers and their dependents have signed up to collect federal disability checks since President Obama took office, according to the latest official government data, as discouraged workers increasingly give up looking for jobs and take advantage of the federal program. From June 2009, the number of new enrollees to Social Security’s disability insurance [SSDI, financed with Social Security taxes paid] program is twice the job growth figure. ^
SSDI now accounts for more than 16% of Social Security's budget and more than 15% of Medicare's (SSDI enrollees can qualify for Medicare after two years.) ^
49% of people live in homes where at least one person gets a federal benefit (Social Security, food stamps, unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, or subsidized housing) up 44% from the year before Obama took office. ^
More than 11 million Americans are collecting federal disability checks. Half of these beneficiaries have signed on since President Obama took office more than three years ago (2008). http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444273704577635681206305056.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_opinion#printMode
Federal welfare spending has grown by 32 percent over the past four years [2012], partly due to President Obama’s stimulus spending and swelled by a growing number of Americans whose recession-depleted incomes now qualify them for public assistance, according to numbers released in Oct. 2012. The biggest item on the list is Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor, which made up 40 percent of all low-income assistance in 2011. The next big program is food stamps at $75 billion in 2011, or 10 percent of welfare spending. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/oct/18/welfare-spending-jumps-32-percent-four-years/?page=all#pagebreak
The American public’s dependence on the federal government rose to 23% in two years under President Obama, with 67 million (out of approx. 315 million total pop.) now relying on some federal program. Dependence programs” accounts for more than 70% of the federal budget, up from 48.5% in 1990 and 25% in 1962. http://news.investors.com/Article.aspx?id=600452&p=1&ibdbot=1
In 2011, the United States spent over $60,000 to support welfare programs per each household that is in poverty. Converted into dollars the figure is over 2.5 the amount the average household on poverty lives on per year (table is in this link). http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/over-60000-welfare-spentper-household-poverty_657889.html
49.5% of Americans did not pay income taxes in 2009, up from 12% in the late 1960s. http://winteryknight.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/dependency-on-government-surges-23-under-barack-obama/
In FY 2011, federal spending on means-tested welfare came to $717 billion. State contributions into federal programs added another $201 billion, and independent state programs contributed around $9 billion. Total spending from all sources reached $927 billion. About half of means-tested spending is for medical care. Roughly 40 percent goes to cash, food, and housing aid. The remaining 10 to 12 percent goes to what might be called “enabling” programs. http://www.heritage.org/research/testimony/2012/05/examining-the-means-tested-welfare-state
Adjusting for inflation and population growth, the U.S. now spends 50% more on means-tested cash, food, and housing than it did in 2002. ^
If converted to cash, means-tested welfare spending is more than sufficient to bring the income of every lower-income American to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, roughly $44,000 per year for a family of four. (This calculation combines potential welfare aid with non-welfare income currently received by the poor.) ^
Federal welfare programs includes 12 programs providing food aid; 12 programs funding social services; 12 educational assistance programs; 11 housing assistance programs; 10 programs providing cash assistance; 9 vocational training programs; 7 medical assistance programs; 3 energy and utility assistance programs; and 3 child care and child development programs.
According to the President’s spending plans by 2014 welfare spending will exceed $1 trillion per year. By 2022 total means-tested spending would reach $1.57 trillion.^
To support the 83 [many overlapping] programs that Congressional Research Service in Oct 2012 identified as welfare programs, the federal government spends $745.84 billion. That dollar amount exceeds the $725 billion spent by the federal government on Social Security, $480 billion on Medicare, and $540 billion on non-war defense. In all, the U.S. government, including federal and state governments, spends in excess of $1 trillion on welfare. http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/welfare-spending-now-largest-federal-budget-item_654849.html
The amount of money the federal government hands out in direct payments increased 32% during first three years of Mr. Obama's Presidency. http://patriotupdate.com/17823/food-stamps-up-45-federal-handouts-up-32
In 1988, there were 4.46 million SSI [Supplemental Security Insurance], financed through general revenues from taxes, meaning benefits are not based on your prior work history] recipients, 6 million in 1993 and in 2011 there were 8 million. http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-224.html; http://www.socialsecurity-disability.org/disability-benefits
Despite nearly $15 trillion in total welfare spending [$19.8 trillion in inflation-adjusted 2011 dollars] since Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty in 1964, the poverty rate is perilously close to where it was more than 40 years ago. http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/PA694.pdf
Since President Obama took office [in January 2009], federal welfare spending has increased by 41 percent, more than $193 billion per year, a 42 percent increase over welfare spending in 2008. And over the next decade, welfare spending is projected to cost taxpayers $10.3 trillion. ^
In 2011 the federal government spent roughly $668.2 billion on 126 separate and often overlapping anti-poverty programs. These include 33 housing programs run by four different cabinet departments, and 21 different programs providing food or food-purchasing assistance, along with 8 different health care programs, and six cabinet departments and five independent agencies oversee 27 cash or general assistance programs. All together, seven different cabinet agencies and six independent agencies administer at least one anti-poverty program. ^
At least 106 million (almost 1 out of 3 of all ages) Americans receive welfare benefits from one or more welfare programs (excluding Social Security, Medicare, pensions etc.), with Medicaid and food stamps having the highest percentages. ^
Medicaid is the single largest welfare program at $228 billion in 2011. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) was the second most expensive welfare program at nearly $72 billion. ^
In fiscal year 2008, anti-poverty spending was $475 billion. In fiscal year 2009, when Obama took office, it had risen to $590 billion. Income limits for eligibility have risen twice as fast as inflation since 2007 and are now roughly 10 percent higher than they were when Obama took office, representing an increase of more than $193 billion since his presidency began. ^
State and local governments provide additional funding for several of these programs and also operate a number of programs on their own, adding another $284 billion per year. If one includes state and local welfare spending, government at all levels will spend more than $952 billion this year to fight poverty, just short of the trillion dollar mark. To put this in perspective, the defense budget for 2012, including spending for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, totals $685 billion. ^
From the end of 1989 through 1996, the number of children receiving SSI benefits more than tripled from 265,000 to about 955,000. (Adults are considered disabled if they are unable to engage in substantial gainful activity by reason of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment expected to result in death or last at least 12 months. 42 U.S.C. § 1382c(a)(3)(A).) United States Government Accountability Office, Statement of Daniel Bertoni, Director Education, Workforce, and Income Security, October 27, 2011 (http://waysandmeans.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Daniel_Bertoni_Testimony_1127.pdf)
SSA data show the number of child applicants with mental impairments increased 60 percent between fiscal year 2000 and fiscal year 2010, while the total number of SSI child beneficiaries with mental impairments on the rolls grew 52 percent from 543,000 to 827,000. In fiscal year 2010, about 62 percent of all SSI child applicants had a mental impairment as a primary diagnosis, and about 67 percent of those applicants were medically approved for benefits. ^
The number of children found to be medically eligible for SSI due to speech and language delay nearly tripled between fiscal years 2000 to 2010. ^
As of December 2010, the average monthly child benefit was $597. All but five states and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands supplement federal SSI benefits with additional payments. ^
ADD/ADHD represent the single largest primary diagnostic group, and the number of children found to be medically eligible because of ADD/ADHD increased by more than 100 percent, even though the majority of ADD/ADHD applications over the years have been medically denied. ^
79 percent of 434,000 SSI recipients under age 18 with mental impairments who had reached their scheduled CDR [Continuing Disability Reviews] date (every 3 years) had exceeded the scheduled date by at least a year. ^
Tuition's and fees have risen more than 440 percent in 30 years. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-will-subprime-college-educations/2012/06/08/gJQA4fGiOV_print.html
Total federal aid, intended to hold down the price of a college degree, have soared by more than $100 billion in the space of a single decade -- from $64 billion in 2000 to $169 billion in 2010: Jeff Jacoby, The Boston Globe, April 29, 2012; http://www.jeffjacoby.com/11618/the-government-college-money-pit
The top 10 States with the highest percentage of non-poor residents of each state signed up for government assistance were Vermont, Mississippi, Maine, New York, Massachusetts, Alaska, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Connecticut, Arkansas. http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/the-moocher-index/
In 48 states, the cost of center-based child care for a four-year-old is greater than tuition at a four-year public college. http://www.childrensdefense.org/pressreleases/040713.asp
Cost to raise a child until age 18 is approximately $177,250 to $350,210. Parents 2000
The tax revenues that would have been from the 26.9 million children that have been legally aborted in America by 1991 is an estimated $135 billion. The Cost of Abortion, Lawrence F. Roberge http://www.pregnantpause.org/abort/gap.htm
Approx 44 million Americans live below the poverty line. http://beforeitsnews.com/gold-and-precious-metals/2012/08/50-of-americans-at-or-below-poverty-line-2444776.html
PERSONAL + HOUSEHOLD INCOME, GIVING, SPENDING AND DEBT
United States, Per Capita Income in year 200 dollars: 1990 = 24, 198; 2005 = 34,07. US Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/07statab/income.pdf
Disposable Personal Income Per Capita in 1990 = 30,509; 2005 = 30,509. US Census Bureau
Median household income (2006) 46,000. US Census Bureau. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_household_income
In the year 2000 households with income of at least $100,000 were the fastest-growing income division in the U.S. In inflation-adjusted figures (to 1999 dollars), one out of eight American households were in this group last year (12 in 1990). U.S. Census Bureau; http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/2000/12/01/292749/index.htm
There were 3.5 million U.S. millionaires in 2001, more than a half million of them (572,000) in California and about 3,000 in Vermont. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007, (Table 700) http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/miscellaneous/007871.html
Americans own approximately 40 percent of the world's wealth, with 2.5 percent of the world's population. Ron Blue, How Much Is Enough?, excerpt from a speech delivered at the annual Generous Giving Conference, Phoenix, Ariz., March 1-3, 2001. http://www.generousgiving.org/stats# (Web source provides many more stats)
At the turn of the 21st century, the United States was home to 276 billionaires, over 2,500 households with a net worth exceeding $100 million, 350,000 individuals with a net worth of $10 million, and 5 million millionaires. Ellen Remmer, What's a Donor to Do? The State of Donor Resources in America Today (Boston: The Philanthropic Initiative, 2000) ^
Incomes have gone up nine to 10 times in the last 20 years while giving has gone down about 50 percent. Ron Blue, How Much Is Enough?, excerpt from a speech delivered at the annual Generous Giving Conference, Phoenix, Ariz., March 1-3, 2001. ^
The two groups in the United States that give the highest percentages of their income are the poor (those making less than $20,000 per year) and the rich (those making more than $100,000 per year). Middle-class Americans (those making between $40,000 and $100,000 per year) are the smallest percentage givers. Tim Stafford, The Anatomy of a Giver: American Christians Are the Nation's Most Generous Givers, but We Aren't Exactly Sacrificing, Christianity Today, May 19, 1997. ^
In 2006, Americans gave 1.66% of their aggregate income to charity, with donations totaling US$182 billion. This rate of giving is more than double that of Canadians, who gave 0.76% of aggregate income (CA$8.4 billion in total) to charity in 2006. http://www.fraserinstitute.org/commerce.web/product_files/Generosity_Index_2008.pdf
In 2009, the most charitable states according to the percentage of income was 1. Utah; 2. Oklahoma; 3. District of Columbia; 4. Wyoming; 5. Georgia; 6. Alabama; 7. South Carolina; 8. Maryland; 9. North Carolina; 10. New York. http://www.fraserinstitute.org/commerce.web/product_files/Generosity-Index-2009.pdf See full list and ranking of states according to other various aspects here.
One study showed that the 70 percent of American households which make charitable contributions overall gave 3.5% of their income, approx. 33% to religious institutions. Utah was the state with the highest average per-capita charitable contributions, followed by Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas. Professor Arthur Brooks, 2005. http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2005/February/200502181639511CJsamohT5.593508e-02.html
Nearly 80 percent of children in long-term poverty live in some type of broken family or with a never-married parent. 15National Center for Policy Analysis; http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba428/
On average, a child raised by a never-married mother is 9 times more likely to live in poverty than a child raised by two parents in an intact marriage. ^ 15
Only 9.6 percent of high school graduates are poor, compared to 22.2 percent of those without a diploma. ^ 15
Of those people who complete some college, only 6.6 percent fall below the poverty line. This drops to 3.3 percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher. ^ 15
Of the 35 million living in American poverty, 43% live in their own homes, with only 6% of poor households being overcrowded; two-thirds have more than two rooms per person. The typical poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens and other cities throughout Europe. 83% have air conditioning, 97% own a color TV, 78% a DVD or VCR, 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception. 65% their own washing machine, 73% their own car, 30% own more than one car. "How Poor Are America's Poor? Examining the 'Plague' of Poverty in America" (8/27/2007), from several government sources, (http://townhall.com/columnists/walterewilliams/2010/06/30/where_best_to_be_poor) and “Understanding Poverty in America”, by Robert E. Rector and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., 2004, http://www.heritage.org/Research/Welfare/BG1713es.cfm. and U.S. Census Bureau; Executive Summary #1713: [This is not to slight those who have much less, nor does it reveal the whole story, but it shows a disparity between those who, like myself, fit into the category of financial poverty in America, and that of poverty in other areas of the world.]
More than half (50.3 percent) of U.S. households — nearly 57 million — owned stocks and mutual funds in 2005, representing 91 million individual investors. Equity owners had a median age of 51, a median household income of $65,000 and $125,000 in median household financial assets. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007, (Tables 1194, 1195). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/miscellaneous/007871.html
The average American household has 13 payment cards, including credit cards, debit cards and store cards. Family Life Facts, http://www.flc.org/hfl/flf01.htm
Over 40% of U.S. families spend more than they earn. Federal Reserve.
Together Americans owe $1.713 trillion, nearly three times the value of the nation’s circulating currency. Harper’s Magazine, November 2002. http://www.employmentproject.com/nmj/nmj0211.htm
The percentage of household debt in relation to household assets (what you owe versus what you're worth) has also never been so high. The Federal Reserve, reported by CNN/Money, October 3, 2003
80% of Americans owe more than they own. 2004 by Rod Rogers, http://www.leaderskillsinc.com/resource_articles/stew_doc_news.htm
Consumer borrowing has risen almost 50 percent in the past five years to a record $6.3 billion. U.S. News & World Report, February 14, 2001; http://www.bibleuniverse.com/finance/finance.asp
Household debt -- everything from home mortgages to credit cards -- now totals about $10 trillion, or roughly 115 percent of personal disposable income. In 1945, debt was about 20 percent of disposable income. The Next Economy By Robert J. Samuelson Wednesday, December 29, 2004; Page A19. &; 2004 The Washington Post Company. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32610-2004Dec28.html
About 10 percent of credit card holders had total card balances in excess of $10,000. Liz Pulliam Weston, The Truth about Credit Card Debt: Conventional Wisdom is That We're All Hooked and Struggling. The Reality Is, in fact, Quite Different and Less Frightening, MSN Money, May 8, 2006. http://www.generousgiving.org/stats#
Nearly two of every three undergraduate students are going into debt to go to college, owing an average of more than $19,000, most often to the government. Devlin Barrett, 2 of 3 College Grads Go into Debt, The Associated Press, May 30, 2006. ^
50% of all income goes to pay consumer and mortgage debt. Rod Rogers, http://www.leaderskillsinc.com/resource_articles/stew_doc_news.htm
There were 278 million debit cards in U.S. hands in 2004, with 22.2 billion transactions amounting to more than $1 trillion. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007, (Table 1168). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/miscellaneous/007871.html
45% of people are dependent on relatives. Rod Rogers, http://www.leaderskillsinc.com/resource_articles/stew_doc_news.htm
The average American Credit card debt is $8,562 (2002). [Does not include other forms of debt.] http://www.fool.com/ccc/secrets/secrets.htm (orig. http://www.cardweb.com ?)
Total finance charges Americans paid in 2001: $50 billion. http://www.fool.com/ccc/secrets/secrets.htm
75% of credit card companies revenues come from finance charges. http://loan.yahoo.com/c/cards6.html
55% of households owed nothing on credit cards (2002). Liz Pulliam Weston http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Banking/creditcardsmarts/P74808.asp
29% of households owe $1,000 or more on their cards. 1% owe $21,400 or more. Bill Whitt at the VIP Forum, a Washington D.C. research firm. Reported by Liz Pulliam Weston, http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Banking/creditcardsmarts/P74808.asp
Average American undergraduate student credit card debt rose from $1,879 to $2,748 in two years (2000). Nellie Mae Student Loan Applications. http://www.debtsmart.com/cgi-pl/redir.cgi?statistic_37&http://www.nfcc.org
The average American college undergrad has $1,843 in credit card debt (2001). Nellie Mae, a student loan provider. http://www.debtsmart.com/cgi-pl/redir.cgi?statistic_55&http://Bankrate.com
More than half of families with credit cards (56 percent) “almost always” pay off the balance, 20 percent “sometimes” pay off the balance and another 24 percent “hardly ever” pay off the balance. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007, (Table 1170). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/miscellaneous/007871.html
Bankruptcies set another record in 2003, with 1.6 million personal filings. American Bankruptcy Institute. http://www.abiworld.org/stats/newstatsfront.html
http://www.ericdigests.org/
Every incident of child sexual abuse costs the victim and society $99,000. Miller, Cohen & Wiersema, 1996. http://www.yellodyno.com/html/childabusestatistics.html
Teen pregnancy costs the United States at least $7 billion annually. National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. (1997). Whatever Happened to Childhood? The Problem of Teen Pregnancy in the United States. Washington, DC: Author. http://www.theodora.com/teddy/newyork/teenage.html
Overall monetary cost to tax payers for teen mothers: $120 billion+. Based on the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979-1985) in Congressional Budget Office. (1990, September). Sources of Support for Adolescent Mothers. Washington, DC
With 19 million sexually transmitted diseases in the United States — almost half occur among the 14-to-25 age group — the cost to the health care system is $15 billion a year. Dr. Kevin Fenton of the CDC.
Divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing costs U.S. taxpayers more than $112 billion a year, according to a study commissioned by groups advocating government action to bolster marriage. Georgia State University economist Georgia State University economist Ben Scafidi’s, Institute for American Values, the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, Families Northwest of Redmond, Wash., and the Georgia Family Council,. http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=80&sid=1386915
Nearly three out of four poor families with children in America are headed by single parents. When a child’s father is married to his mother, however, the probability of the child’s living in poverty drops by 82 percent. http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/09/heritage-report-marriage-greatest-weapon-against-child-poverty
The overall cost treating AIDS in the United States was $16 billion in 2002. http://usinfo.state.gov/gi/Archive/2003/Dec/01-19252.html
The monthly medical cost for people receiving optimal care for HIV, from diagnosis until death, averages to be $2,100. The lifetime (now 24.2 years avg.) HIV care cost per such persons is now $618,900 per person. 06 Nov 2006 NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center Schackman , Freedberg, MGH;, Gebo Moore Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, and BU School of Public Health) .http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/55870.php http://porkbusters.org/2007/02/prevent_baby_aids_or_learn_how.php
Federal budget funding for AIDS treatment and care in America in 2009 totaled 24.8 billion. Medicare spending on HIV totaled $4.5 billion in 2008, with four in ten people who were living with HIV and who were receiving care being covered by Medicaid. Kaiser Family Foundation (2009, February) ''Medicaid and HIV/AIDS Fact sheet''.
In 2002, the federal and state Governments Spent $12 on Safe Sex and Contraceptives for Every $1 Spent on Abstinence. Melissa G. Pardue, Robert E. Rector, and Shannan Martin Backgrounder #1718
The porn industry rakes in an estimated $10 billion to $14 billion annually in the United States. The $4 billion that Americans spend on video pornography alone is more than the annual revenue of the NFL, the NBA or Major League Baseball. Dillon Fishman Arizona Daily Wildcat http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/98/133/03_1.html
It is estimated that Americans now spend somewhere around $10 billion a year on adult entertainment, which is as much as they spend attending professional sporting events, buying music or going out to the movies. It is estimated that Americans now spend somewhere around $10 billion a year on adult entertainment, which is as much as they spend attending professional sporting events, buying music or going out to the movies. CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/21/60minutes/main585049.shtml
Americans spent as much on drugs in 2004 as they did for gasoline. Industry consultants estimated $250 billion in sales (the majority for prescription drugs), which translates into an $850 pharmaceutical fill-up for every American. Jeff Donn ASSOCIATED PRESS, April 16, 2005. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/health/20050416-0936-americathemedicated.html
Between 2/2001 to 7/2001 there was an increase of 345% in child pornography sites (N2H2, 8/01) http://www.afo.net/statistics.htm
With 1 out of every 100 adults in jail in the U.S., it costs state governments almost $50 billion a year and the federal government $5 billion more. The average per prisoner operating cost in 2005 was $23,876. An estimated 1 in every 15 dollars from state general funds was spent on corrections in fiscal year 2007. Pew’s Center on the States study, http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/One%20in%20100.pdf
The United States invests $70 billion on decreasing interpersonal violence or and self-inflicted violence. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.infoniac.com/science/violencecosts.html
The District of Columbia led the nation in 2002 in per capita Government Expenditures (State and Local Government) against crime (total justice system): 2,162. http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/07statab/law.pdf
In 2003 the United States spent a record $185 billion for police protection, corrections, and judicial and legal activities. Expenditures for operating the Nation's justice system increased from almost $36 billion in 1982 to over $185 billion in 2003, an increase of 418%. 14.5 http://www.ncalg.org/library/working%20on%20these/factsheet.htm Bureau of Justice Statistics, http://www.wrongfuldeathinstitute.com/links/prison/prisonstats.htm
From 1977 to 2003 total State and local expenditure for all justice functions increased 567%: Police protection – 545%; Corrections –1,173%' Judicial and legal – 1,974%. 14.5^
Other government functions increased during the same period: Education – 505%; Hospitals and health care – 572%; Interest on debt – 577% Public welfare – 766%. (Justice Expenditure and Employment Extracts, compiled from the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Government Finance Survey and Annual Survey of Public Employment). 14.5^
Between 1982 and 2003, per capita expenditure, including Federal, State, and local governments across justice functions, increased from $158 to $638, over 300%.
During the same time period: Corrections expenditures increased 423%, from $40 to $209 per resident. 14.5^
Judicial and legal expenditures increased 321%, from $34 to $143. 14.5^
Police protection expenditures increased 241%, from $84 to $286 per resident. Since 1982 total direct expenditures increased 418%, from nearly $36 billion to over $185 billion. The average annual increase between 1982 and 2003 was nearly 8%. 14.5^
Of children born in the years 1967-69, some 22.1 percent were dependent on Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC ) before reaching age 18. This broke down as 15.7 percent for white children, 72.3 percent for black children. Projections for children born in 1980 gave rates of 22.2 percent and 82.9 percent respectively. Between 1970 and 1991, the value of AFDC benefits decreased by 41%. In 1990, the poverty rate among single-parent with children under 18 was 44%.The American Spectator (vol. 62, no. 1, winter 1993, pp. 17-30) 14.5^
A new prison cell costs $100,000 to build and $200,000 over 25 years to pay interest on the construction debt; and in excess of $22,000 per year/per cell to operate. 14.5^
The New York City Police Department has a $3.3 billion annual budget, larger than all but 19 of the world's armies. jeftrajus http://www.handymanclub.com/Community/Forums.aspx?g=posts&t=5587&page=27
Insurance-related crime among gamblers is estimated at over $1.3 billion a year! http://www.ncalg.org/library/working%20on%20these/factsheet.htm
The average American worker admits to misusing 2.09 hours per 8-hour workday (not including lunch and scheduled break-time) of their employers time (personal Internet use making up 44.7% of the stolen time), costing employers an estimated $759 billion per year. 33.2% of respondents blamed lack of work as their primary reason for doing so, while 23.4% said they were underpaid. Survey by America Online and Salary.com http://www.salary.com/careers/layoutscripts/crel_display.asp?tab=cre&cat=nocat&ser=Ser374&part=Par555
"Americans spend over $90 billion dollars on alcohol each year." Source: UsNoDrugs.comhttp://www.usnodrugs.com/alcohol-statistics.htm
Economic costs to society for Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the United States are estimated at $185 billion annually for 1998. National Institute on Drug Abuse and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the United States, 1995. http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/alcohol/factsheet.htm 1998.
Economic costs of alcohol-related crashes are estimated to be $45 billion yearly. Los Angeles Police Dept. http://www.lapdonline.org/bldg_safer_comms/prevention/other/drunk_driving_98.htm
An additional $70.5 billion is lost in quality of life due to these crashes. Los Angelus Police Dept. http://www.lapdonline.org/bldg_safer_comms/prevention/other/drunk_driving_98.htm
Federal, state, and local alcohol taxes combined raise approximately $13.1 billion dollars a year, but alcohol use extracts over $ 100 billion a year in social costs such as lost productivity and health costs. Morton M. Kondracke, "Don't Legalize Drugs," The New Republic, June 27, 1988; Robert E. Peterson, "'Stop Legalization of Illegal Drugs," Drug Awareness Information Newsletter, July 1988]. Schaffer Library of drug policy. http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/debate/myths/myths5.htm
In 1995, $60.3 billion, or nearly one in five dollars the federal government spends on all health care entitlements, will be spent to treat illness and conditions attributable to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs." Columbia's Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
It is estimated that legalizations of recreational drugs would cost American society between $140 billion and $210 billion a year in lost productivity and job-related accidents. Morton M. Kondracke, citation above;. http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/debate/myths/myths5.htm
Excessive drinking costs Americans over $175 billion each year: The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html
Businesses lose an estimated $100 billion a year due to substance abuse. U.S. Department of Labor. http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html
Teen-aged drinking costs Americans an estimated $58 billion annually. Office of Juvenile Justice and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. 1999 Great Falls Tribune http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html
Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among America's youth, costing an average of $577.91 per year for every household in the United States. Karolyn Nunnallee, national president of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD). www.madd.org/stats 1999 Great Falls Tribune http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html
College students spend over $5.5 billion a year on alcoholic beverages (mostly beer)--more than they spend on all other drinks [soda, tea, milk, juice and coffee] and books combined. Sidney Ribeau, PresidentBowling Green State University http://www.collegevalues.org/diaries.cfm?id=476&a=1. See also www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/rpt1998/CAS1998rpt2.html.
Medical expenses attributable to alcohol abuse are an estimated $22.6 billion this year. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html
Almost 1 in 5 dollars (60.3 billion) of the total US federal government health care spending entitlements, will be spent in 1995 to treat afflictions and conditions attributable to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. Columbia's Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. 1999 Great Falls Tribune http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html
Americans spent as much on drugs last year [2004] as they did for gasoline. The $250 billion in sales estimated by industry consultants means an $850 pharmaceutical fill-up for every American. The vast majority was for prescription drugs." Jeff Donn Associated Press, April 16, 2005. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/health/20050416-0936-americathemedicated.html
Americans spent a total of $151 billion on outpatient prescriptions in 2002. Time magazine, July 13, 2005. http://time.blogs.com/daily_rx/2005/07/what_americans_.html
Americans spend slightly less than $70 billion annually to buy illegal drugs. December 2000; Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), by Abt Associates Inc., of Cambridge, Mass. http://www.smythnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SCN%2FMGArticle%2FSCN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031780461826
70 percent of America's public child welfare system spending is for substance abuse-related sins. Columbia University's National Center on Addition and Substance Abuse. 1999 Great Falls Tribune http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html
An estimated 80% of prison inmates are alcoholics or drug abusers. Columbia's Center on Addiction and Substance Abuset . 1999 Great Falls Tribune http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html
Alcohol-related car wrecks cost the US an estimated $45 billion a year, or $1.90 per ounce of alcohol consumed. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers www.madd.org/stats
30 to 50% of hospital admissions are alcohol-related. Dr. Dan Nauts, medical director of the Addiction Medicine Center at Benefis Healthcare. http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html
On a typical campus, per capita students spending for alcohol--$446 per student--far exceeds the per capita budget of the college library. (Eigen, 1991 in the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse).
College students spend over $5.5 billion a year on alcoholic beverages (mostly beer)--more than they spend on all other drinks [soda, tea, milk, juice and coffee] and books combined. Sidney Ribeau, PresidentBowling Green State University http://www.collegevalues.org/diaries.cfm?id=476&a=1. See also www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/rpt1998/CAS1998rpt2.html [which is also a illustration of how to do a survey.]
Government outlays intended to hold down the price of a college degree have risen, in inflation-adjusted dollars, from $29.6 billion in 1985 to $139.7 billion in 2010, an increase of 372 percent since Ronald Reagan’s day. Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe, Apr 29, 2012 base on CATO study. http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa686.pdf
Outstanding student loan debt in the United States appears to have surpassed $1 trillion by late 2011 “Student-Loan Debt Tops $1 Trillion,” Wall Street Journal, Economy, March 22, 2012,
Over 300,000 Americans from nearly 6,000 different schools defaulted on their loans in 2009. http://www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/attachments/091211FY09CDRBriefingAttach2.pdf
As many as 27% of all student loan borrowers are more than 30 days past due as of March 2012. http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/federal-reserve-bank-of-new-york
The balance of federal student loans has grown by more than 60 percent in the last 5 years (2012). Payments are being made on only 38 percent of the balance of federal student loans, down from 46 percent five years ago. Almost 1 in 10 borrowers who started repayment in 2009 defaulted within 2 years, approximately twice the rate in 2005. N.Y. Times, “A Generation Hobbled by the Soaring Cost of College,” May 12, 2012
Forty percent of U.S. households headed by someone younger than age 35 (and 1 out of 5 households overall) owed student debt in 2010 – double the percentage from 20 years ago. Pew Research Center analysis, 9-26-2012; http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/09/26/a-record-one-in-five-households-now-owe-student-loan-debt/
Students can be "forgiven" 100% their remaining student loan debt if they work for the government or non-profit (but not if involved in religious activity) orgs for 10 years, if they faithfully make all their payments (120 continuous payments) during that time. (Federal Register / Vol. 73, 2008, Section 685.219; http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-24922.pdf)
Average American undergraduate student credit card debt rose from $1,879 to $2,748 in two years (2000). Nellie Mae Student Loan Applications. http://www.debtsmart.com/cgi-pl/redir.cgi?statistic_37&http://www.nfcc.org
The average American college undergrad has $1,843 in credit card debt (2001). Nellie Mae, a student loan provider. http://www.debtsmart.com/cgi-pl/redir.cgi?statistic_55&http://Bankrate.com
Expenditures in the United States on health care surpassed $2.3 trillion in 2008, and the U.S. health care spending was about $7,681 per resident and accounted for 16.2% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP); this is among the highest of all industrialized countries. http://www.kaiseredu.org/topics_im.asp?imID=1&parentID=61&id=358
Health care spending is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense. California Health Care Foundation. Health Care Costs 101 -- 2005. 02 March 2005. http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml
America spent about $1.7 trillion (15.3 percent of its Gross Domestic Product) on health care in 2003, as it continued to rise at the fastest rate in US history. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group; and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of the Census. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/statistics/nhe/projections-2003/t2.asp.
More than 50 percent of Americans spend over $75 billion on dietary supplements and natural health approaches. Lyle Hurd, http://americanwellnessnetwork.com/American_Wellness_Network.html
Americans drank about 10 times as much as bottled water per person in 2004 (23 gallons) than in 1980. They also consumed more than twice as much high fructose corn syrup per person as in 1980. Richard Clement/Reuters; http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/miscellaneous/007871.html
Americans spend close to $117 billion on obesity related health care, with another $33 billion spent annually in attempts to control or lose weight. Mazur F. Health cost control: prevention. Legislative Update. http://user.adelphia.net/frankmazur/prevention_10_3.htm; Accessed August 26, 2004. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3977/is_200410/ai_n9461223
Nearly half the costs of obesity are paid out of tax-supported health insurance. Magee M. The cost of obesity in America. Health Politics. Available at http://www.health-politics.com/programjnfo.asp?p=prog_474; accessed July 14, 2004. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3977/is_200410/ai_n9461223
Total amount spent annually on potato chips: $4.5 billion. Cato book for Congress. http://www.cato.org/pubs/handbook/hb105-18.html
Americans spent approx. 167 million in caviar in 2004. Fred Conte, Univeristy of California at Davis.
The annual healthcare costs of obesity could be as high as 147 billion dollars for 2008. The medical costs for an obese person are 42 per cent higher than for a person of normal weight. RTI International, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is published in the 27 July issue of the health policy journal Health Affairs. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/printerfriendlynews.php?newsid=158948
In 2007, it is estimated that Americans will spend over $40 billion on their pets. American Pet Products Manufacturers Associate, Inc., Industry Statistics and Trends, 2007.
America Throw away approx. 27% of it's food every year. http://www.metro-region.org/article.cfm?articleid=860
One billion dollars worth of stolen cars are taken out of the United States annually. International Crime Control Strategy - June 1998 http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/iccs/iccsii.html
Maine, Vermont, Idaho, and Wisconsin were the 5 least expensive states for auto insurance in 2005, while New York state, Louisiana, Rhode Island Maryland and Washington DC made up the 5 highest. http://www.insurance.com/Article.aspx/MostLeast_Expensive_States_for_Auto_Insurance_in_2005/artid/343 ;http://www.insurance.com/Article.aspx/The_Most_Expensive_States_for_Auto_Insurance/artid/147
Car ownership costs of selected cities around the country are as follows: Detroit - $12,210, Philadelphia - $11,081, Los Angeles - $10,604, Hartford, CT - $9,972, West Palm Beach - $9,170, Buffalo - $8,813, Grand Forks, ND - $7,726, Bismarck, ND - $7,705, Sioux Falls, SD - $7,629, Runzheimer International, a consulting firm; http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/01/autos/costliest_car_ownership_cities/index.htm?cnn=yes
Health premiums were up 13.9 percent in 2003 over 2002. In 2004, health benefits cost a single employee an average of $3,383, and a family of four $9,068. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
“Each automobile manufactured in the U.S. today contains $700 worth of steel and around $1,700 worth of health care costs.” Mike Milken at HRO World Conference 2004.
Health care cost General Motors $5.3 billion in 2005—31 percent of which was for prescription drugs. Corbett B., Ward's Auto World 2003 Jul 1; http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/SUM07/health-care-reform.html
In 48 states, the cost of center-based child care for a four-year-old is greater than tuition at a four-year public college. http://www.childrensdefense.org/pressreleases/040713.asp
This nations approx. 1 million (annually) high school dropouts are estimated to cost the economy 260 billion over the course of the students lives. U.S. News + World Report, 4-24-06 [Bible church “dropouts” cost more, while the social engineering “values” most schools teach cost both the students and this nation more than money.]
In the United States, 32% of peoples income is spent on housing (including ultitlies, furnishings, services, repairs, etc.) Center for Business and Economic Research; http://cber.cba.ua.edu/rbriefs/ab_jul97.html
American citizens donated $260 billion to charities of all kinds in 2005, the latest year for which figures are available. The Giving USA Foundation.
The amount budgeted by the US government for non-military foreign aid in 2006 ( $17.29 billion) to the entire world was less than American citizens spend celebrating Mother's Day and Father's And the amount spent on winter holidays is greater than all charitable giving combined. National Retail Federation. http://www.godweb.org/holidayspending.htm
The average consumer will spend $30 on Christmas cards and postage this year. National Retail Federation.
Americans are expected to spend $8 billion on Christmas decorations. Unity Marketing, 2005 http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18650
Eight in 10 dog owners buy their pet holiday gifts. Six in 10 cat owners do. 2005, American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.
Americans spent approx $457 Billion / $800 per person on Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. A typical American child receives 70 new toys a year, most of them at Christmas, and .
$14 Billion / $116 per person Valentine's Day
$13.8 Billion / $115 per person for Mother's Day
$12.6 Billion / $110 per person for Easter
$9 Billion / $100 per person for Father's Day
$5 billion / $60 per person for Halloween. National Retail Federation http://www.godweb.org/holidayspending.htm
$36.3 billion was spent by Americans on pet food and supplies, veterinary visits, medicines, live animals and services (which include massage therapy, spa treatments, couture clothing and gourmet food). 2005, American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.
Pets outnumber people in the United States by about 60 million. 2005, American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/10/modern.pets/index.html
14 Bureau of Justice Statistics
15 right &; 2002 National Center for Policy Analysis; http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba428/