INDICATOR JAN 2009 NOW DIFF SOURCE
Avg Retail Gas Price 1.83 3.104 +69.6% 1
# of long term unemployed 2.6mm 6.4mm +146.2% 3
# of unemployed 11.6mm 14.5mm +24.7% 3
Natl Debt in trillions 10.62 14.05 +32.2% 14
# of food stamp recipients 39.1mm 43.2mm +35.5% 5
Corn #2 yellow $3.56 $6.33 +78.1% 2
Sugar cane raw $13.37 $35.39 +164.7% 2
Poverty rate ind (08-09) 13.2% 14.3% +8.3% 4
Failed banks 140 164 +17.1% 12
Real Med. Household inc. 50112 49777 -0.7% 4
# unemploy recipients 7.5mm 9.2mm +22.2% 6
US dollar vs Yen 89.7 82.0 -8.6% 2
Present situation index 29.9 23.5 -21.4% 11
USrank economic freedom 5 9 n/a 10
Soybeans #1 yellow $9.66 $13.75 +42.3% 2
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 7,555 MPH!
Sources:(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