here's your change

[blkdog812]

January 2009
TODAY
% chg
Source
Avg.. Retail price/gallon gas in U.S.
$1.83
$3.86
84%
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
2,779,000
2,840,000
2.2%
3

Real median household income
$50,112
$49,777
-0.7%
4

Number of food stamp recipients
31,983,716
43,200,878
35.1%
5

Number of unemployment benefit recipients
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
13.2%
14.3%
8.3%
4

People in poverty in U.S.
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
29.9
23.5
-21.4%
11

Failed banks
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
1,575.1
1,865.7
18.4%
13

U.S.. Money supply, M2, in billions
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 ratemore 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