SNAPSHOT 2010--a statistical look at where human history has brought us

Additions or suggestions are invited; send to lhalper@gavilan.edu

I. The world

CLIMATE CHANGE:

Carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse gases" trap heat in the atmosphere and raise average global surface temperatures. Emissions of carbon dioxide grew 12-fold between 1900 and 2000, from 534 million metric tons per year in 1900 to 6.59 billion metric tons in 1997( State of the World).

In the same period, human population nearly quadrupled, from 1.6 billion to 6.1 billion, progressively consuming greater quantities of fossil fuels-oil, gas and coal. Expanded agriculture, destruction of forests and increased production of certain chemicals also increase greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that the earth's atmosphere will warm by as much as 5.8 degrees Celsius over the coming century, a rate unmatched over the past 10,000 years. The IPCC's "best estimate" scenario projects a sea-level rise of about half a metre by 2100 (with a range of 15 to 95 centimetres), substantially greater than the increase over the last century (State of the World).

The human and ecological impacts of rising oceans include increased flooding, coastal erosion, salinization of aquifers, and loss of coastal cropland, wetlands and living space. The intensity and frequency of hurricanes and other hazardous weather may also increase, endangering the growing human population in coastal areas. Rising global surface temperatures and changes in precipitation magnitude, intensity and geographical distribution may well redraw the world renewable resources map. Whether or not these climatic changes affect net global agricultural production, they are almost certain to shift productivity among regions and countries, and within nations (State of the World).

Earth's average temperature has been hotter over the last quarter century than during the previous four centuries and possibly much longer, a definitive new National Academy of Sciences study has found. (Davidson.)

If emissions of heat-trapping gases continue to accumulate in the atmosphere at the currrent rate, there may be many centuries of warming and a near total loss of Arctic tundra, according to a new climate study. (Revkin.)

The Arctic ice cap has thinned by 42 percent(State of the World).

About one-fifth of the world’s coral reefs have already been lost or severely damaged, while another 35 percent could be lost within 10–40 years, according to the latest review by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. The review contained mixed news: the number of coral reefs considered at low risk stood at 46 percent, up from 30 percent only four years ago, but the number of effectively lost reefs remained constant during the same period—although this figure was double the 10 percent lost or severely damaged in the first global estimate in 1992. Notably, the recent threatened reef estimates do not take into account risks from climate change; when these are included, all coral reefs are at danger and widespread mortality is predicted (State of the World 2010).

Unless fossil fuel use slows dramatically, the Earth's temperature could rise to as high as 6 degrees above the 1990 level by 2100. Such an increase could lead to acute water shortages, declining food production, and the proliferation of deadly diseases such as malaria and dengue fever (State of the World).

Unless change occurs, climate change will soon rival habitat destruction in dooming plants and animals to extinction. Eighteen to 35 percent of species will vanish from six key large global areas; this could mean the loss of up to a million species worldwide (Chui 3A) .

By 2050, rising temperatures exacerbated by human-induced belches of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases could send more than a million of Earth's land-dwelling plants and animals down the road to extinction, according to a recent study. "Climate change now represents at least as great a threat to the number of species surviving on Earth as habitat-destruction and modification," said Chris Thomas, a conservation biologist at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom (Roach).

SPECIES LOSS

Some 50 percent of the world's flora and fauna could be on a path to extinction within a hundred years. And everything is affected: fish, birds, insects, plants, and mammals. As many as 11 percent of birds, or 1,100 species out of the world's nearly 10,000, are on the edge of extinction; it's doubtful that the majority of these 1,100 will live much beyond the end of the next century. Also a team of respected botanists recently reported that one in eight plants is at risk of becoming extinct. This is a worldwide epidemic of extinctions (Morrell).

Such a rate of extinction has occurred only five times since complex life emerged, and each time it was caused by a catastrophic natural disaster. For instance, geologists have found evidence that a meteorite crashed into Earth 65 million years ago, leading to the demise of the dinosaurs. That was the most recent major extinction. Today the Earth is again in extinction's grip--but the cause has changed. The sixth extinction is not happening because of some external force. It is happening because of us, Homo sapiens, an "exterminator species," as one scientist has characterized humankind (Morrell).

At least one quarter of the world's mammals in the wild are threatened with extinction, according to an international survey...that blames the loss of wildlife habitat, hnting, and poaching for the steep declines. The survey, assembled over five years by 1700 researchers in 130 countries, is the most cmoprehensive yet to assess damage on every continent and in every ocean (Weiss).

The risk of extinction that over dozens of species of frogs and other amphibians around the globe, due to pressures that range from deforestation to ozone depletion. These are "an important bioindicator-a sort of barometer of Earth's health-more sensitive to environmental stress than other organisms" (State of the World).

As many as 122 species of frogs have died out since 1980, and a new study documents for the first time a direct correltion between climatic warming and the disappearance. Warming made a fungus fatal to the frogs more prevalant; 80 percent of the time there has been a correlation between higher temperatures and frog species extinction. (Eilperin.)

Thirty five percent of the world's fisheries report declining yields (Jones 25).

GLOBAL WEALTH AND POVERTY

Around 1.7 billion people worldwide-more than a quarter of humanity-have entered the "consumer class," adopting the diets, transportation systems, and lifestyles that were limited to the rich nations of Europe, North America, and Japan during most of the last century. In China alone, 240 million people have joined the ranks of consumers-a number that will soon surpass that in the United States (Richer).

The 12 percent of the world's people living in North America and Western Europe account for 60 percent of this consumption, while the one-third living in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa account for only 3.2 percent (Richer).

Some 500 billionaires on this planet, mostly Americans, have the equivalent assets of half of the world's population (Krieger).

Basic education for all would cost $6 BILLION a year.$8 BILLION is spent annually for cosmetics in the United States alone. Installation of water and sanitation for all would cost $9 BILLION plus some annual costs;$11 BILLION is spent annually on ice cream in Europe. Reproductive health services for all women would cost $12 BILLION a year;$12 BILLION a year is spent on perfumes in Europe and the United States (United Nations Development).

1.2 billion people across the world live on less than $1 a day-a condition classified as "extreme poverty" and characterized by hunger, illiteracy, vulnerability, sickness and premature death. Half the world's population, 2.3 billion people, live on $2 a day or less (State of the World).

More than a billion people cannot fulfill their basic needs for food, water, sanitation, health care, housing and education. Nearly 60 per cent of the 4.4 billion people living in developing countries lack basic sanitation, almost one third do not have access to clean water supplies, one quarter lack adequate housing, 20 per cent do not have access to modern health services, and 20 per cent of children do not attend school through grade five (State of the World).

On our planet over one billion people are illiterate, and some 100 million children are denied access to primary education(Krieger).

Over the past decade, youth unemployment rates worldwide have jumped from 11.7 percent to a record 14.4 percent in 2003, more than double the overall global unemployment rate. (An estimated) 88 million young people, ages 15-24, were without work in 2005, nearly half the world's jobless (The Worldwatch 25).

GLOBAL LIVING CONDITIONS--WATER

Water scarcity grows in urgency in many regions as population growth, climate change, pollution, lack of investment, and management failures restrict the amount of water available relative to demand. The Stockholm International Water Institute calculated in 2008 that 1.4 billion people live in “closed basins”—regions where existing water cannot meet the agricultural, industrial, municipal, and environmental needs of all. Their estimate is consistent with a 2007 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) calculation that 1.2 billion people live in countries and regions that are water-scarce. And the situation is projected to worsen rapidly: FAO estimates that the number of water-scarce will rise to 1.8 billion by 2025, particularly as population growth pushes many countries and regions into the scarcity column ( State of the World 2010).

“Water scarcity” has several meanings. Physical water scarcity exists wherever available water is insufficient to meet demand: parts of the southwestern United States, northern Mexico, North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, northern China, and southeastern Australia are characterized by physical water scarcity. Economic water scarcity occurs when water is available but inaccessible because of a lack of investment in water provision or poor management and regulation of water resources. Much of the water scarcity of sub-Saharan Africa falls into this category (State of the World 2010).

Signs of scarcity are plentiful. Several major rivers, including the Indus, Rio Grande, Colorado, Murray-Darling, and Yellow, no longer reach the sea year-round as a growing share of their waters are claimed for various uses. Water tables are falling as groundwater is overpumped in South Asia, northern China, the Middle East, North Africa, and the southwestern United States, often propping up food production unsustainably. The World Bank estimates that some 15 percent of India’s food, for example, is produced using water from nonrenewable aquifers. Another sign of scarcity is that desalination, a limited and expensive water supply solution, is on the rise (State of the World 2010).

1.2 billion people lack access to clean water and hundreds of millions breathe unhealthy air. Income is related to the availability of water between and within nations. (State of the World).

Global population has tripled over the past 70 years and water use has grown six-fold as the result of industrial development and increased irrigation. Worldwide, 54 per cent of the annual available fresh water is being used. If per capita consumption everywhere reached the level of more developed countries we could be using 90 per cent of the available water by 2025(State of the World).

In the year 2000, 508 million people lived in 31 water-stressed (1700 cubic meters per capita per year) or -scarce countries (1000 cubic meters). By 2025, 3 billion people will be living in 48 such countries. This is a sixfold increase(State of the World).

By 2015, 3 billion people, or 40 percent of the world's population, will live in water-stressed countries (The Worldwatch 6).

The World Health Organization reports that about 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean water (whatever its quantity)(State of the World).

2.4-3.0 billion people lack access to sanitation. These shortcomings are most pronounced in rural areas, where 29 per cent of residents lack access to clean water and 62 per cent to sanitation systems (State of the World).

In developing countries, 90-95 per cent of sewage and 70 per cent of industrial wastes are dumped untreated into surface waters where they pollute the usable water supply(State of the World).

Agriculture uses two thirds of the available fresh water (State of the World).

In California, agriculture accounts for 7 percent of economy but uses 43 percent of the water. (Harpers April)

GLOBAL LIVING CONDITIONS--FOOD

Worldwide, nearly 2 billion people suffer from hunger and chronic nutrient deficiencies....Among the major food security threats on the horizon are the loss of diversity of plant and animal species, the emergence of new diseases and foodborne illnesses, and food bioterror (Worldwatch 63).

842 million people go to bed hungry each night, most of them in Africa and Lat in America--though interestingly 34 million of them are in the former Soviet Union countries, and 10 million even in the rich industrialized world (Vallely).

Nearly 2 billion people in developing countries are anemic(State of the World).

Three companies control about half of the global agrochemical market: Bayer, Syngenta, and BASF. Use of genetically modified (GM) seeds has risen dramatically since these were first commercialized in the mid-1990s—now 45 percent of the corn and 85 percent of the soybeans grown in the United States are GM2 By branching out into plant biotechnol­ogy, huge chemical and pharmaceutical companies such as Monsanto have gained control over critical agricultural inputs that reach into food systems around the world. In 2004, land planted with Monsanto seeds accounted for 88 percent of the total area in GM crops world­wide. Once a global commons, genetic resources are now subject to Intellectual Property Rights protections. Developing countries are forced to deal with large transnational companies to get access to improved seed varieties and plant breeding technologies (State of the World 2010).

Other input markets are similarly concen­trated. In the United States, Mosaic—a com-pany created out of a merger between Cargill and IMC Global—controls 50–60 percent of the synthetic fertilizer market, while four firms control over 80 percent of the market for farm equipment. Four companies control 60 percent of terminal grain facilities, and Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland, and Zen Noh control 81 percent of U.S. corn exports and 65 percent of soybean exports. Cargill has the largest global terminal capacity, handling significant grain exports in Canada, the United States, Brazil, and Argentina. It owns and operates a worldwide transportation network of ships, trucks, barges, railcars, and grain elevators for storage. Cargill is also among the top three beef producers in the United States and plays an important role in poultry production (2010 State of the World 2010) .

GLOBAL LIVING CONDITIONS--POLLUTION & HEALTH CARE

Unclean water and associated poor sanitation kill over 12 million people each year. Air pollution kills nearly 3 million more(State of the World).

It has been estimated that roughly 60 per cent of the global burden of disease from acute respiratory infections, 90 per cent from diarrhea disease, 50 per cent from chronic respiratory conditions and 90 per cent from malaria could be avoided by simple environmental interventions(State of the World).

Air pollution kills an estimated 2.7 million to 3.0 million people every year, about 90 per cent of them in the developing world(State of the World).

In 2006, coal accounted for 25 percent of world primary energy supply.1 (See Figure 1.) Due to its high carbon content, coal was responsible for approximately 40 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuels, despite supplying only 32 percent of fossil fuel energy. Management of this plentiful but heavily polluting energy resource has tremendous implica­tions for human welfare, the health of ecosystems, and the stability of the global climate (State of the World 2010).

Within each decade, the prevalence of asthma increased 50 percent. Worldwide, more than 300 million people are affected, the Global Initiative for Asthma said. The World Health Organization adds that deaths are projected to rise by almost 20 percent in the next ten years without urgent action. Treatment costs more than HIV and TB treatment combined (Kole).

A February 2001 University of North Carolina (U.S.) study found that fetal deaths are almost twice as likely among pregnant women in California farming communities who live near areas where certain pesticides were sprayed. Deaths appeared to be a result of exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy. These findings are relevant to developing countries where regulation of chemical application is less stringent and where even more dangerous chemicals banned in the developed world are still used in agriculture and disease control(State of the World).

In 1997 the International Association for Research on Cancer found high levels of dioxin in human breast milk in 29 of 32 countries studied, including France, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the United States and Viet Nam(State of the World).

A controversial set of studies of U.S. girls points to a nationwide trend towards earlier and earlier puberty. Other studies show that girls exposed to high levels of PCBs and DDE (a product resulting from the breakdown of DDT) in utero entered puberty 11 months earlier than did those without such exposure(State of the World).

Every minute, totaling 509,000 avoidable deaths each year, a woman somewhere in the world dies in childbirth (Loth).

Few of the 70,000 or so chemicals on the market in Europe have been adequately tested for safety. But several of those that have been tested increase the prevalence of cancer, disrupt hormonal systems, and retard child development (The Worldwatch 78).

GLOBAL PRIORITIES

Ending poverty has been an international aim since 1960. After significant advances between 1970 and 1990, the rate of poverty reduction in the 1990s fell to only one third of the pace required to meet the United Nations' commitment to halve poverty levels by 2015(State of the World).

The US remains last among industrialized countries in the amount of its gross domestic product that it allocates for international development at--.11 percent. The US is spending more on its plans to research, develop and deploy missile defenses ($7.8 billion) than it for its international humanitarian and development assistance ($7.6 billion)(Krieger).

There are about 20,000 nuclear weapons in the world, down from the all-time high in 1985 of 65,000. The United States has 10,240; Russia has 8400; China has 390; France has 350; UK has 200-300; India has 60-90; Pakistan has 55-250, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/nudb/datainx.asp). There are many other suspected nuclear states (List of).

Currently, only six countries worldwide possess declared stocks of chemical weapons-- Albania, India, Libya, Russia, South Korea, and the United States. Russia and the United States have over 98 percent of those stockpiles (Worldwatch 142).

If health care spending in the world's 60 poorest countries could be steadily increased from the present $13 per capita to $38 by 2015, experts say, on average 8 million lives could be saved each year. This would require a total contribution from industrial countries of abut 438 billion--a fraction of what the United States recently spent to unseat Saddam Hussein in Iraq (The Worldwatch 44).

Each year more than 2.3 million people, primarily in poor countries, die from eight diseases that could easily be prevented by vaccination (The Worldwatch 47).

II. The United States:

ETHNICITY

The average African-American family has about 60 percent of the income as the average white family. But the disparity of wealth is a lot greater. The average African-American family has only 18 percent of the wealth of the average white family(Wolff).

Forty years after the Watts uprising in South LA, the city's African-Americans still lag behind whites in education, housing, health care, and income. African-Americans in LA are ten times more likely to be murdered than whites, and 35 percent less likely to graduate from high school in four years. Household income trails by forty percent. African-Americans and Latinos are also four times more likely to be searched by LAPD officers (Little).

Black Americans still get far fewer operations, tests, medicines and other lifesaving treatments than whites despite year of efforts to erase racial disparities, according to three major new studies. They are much less likely to undergo heart bypasses, appendectomies, mammograms, tests and drugs for heart disease and diabetes. The research paints a discouraging picture of African-Americans receiving unequal care (Stein).

Jobs held by Mexican immigrants are killing workers at a fast rate. Mexicans represent 1 in 24 workers in the US, but 1 in 14 die in work related accidents. Though Mexicans often take the most dangerous jobs, they are more likely than others to be killed even when doing similarly risky work (Pritchard 10A).

In the mid-1990s, Mexicans working in the US were about 30 percent more likely to die on the job than native-born workers; now they are about 80 percent more likely. Mexicans are nearly twice as likely to die at work than other immigrants (Pritchard 10A).

From 1998 to 2001 families of color gained only $100 of median financial assets in those three years, compared with $5,800 gain for white families From 1995 to 2001, the net worth of typical families of color fell 7% to $17,100, while white families' net worth rose 37% to $120,900. Overall the gap between the net worth of typical white families and families of color grew by 21% over those 3 years(Leondar-Wright).

European-American home ownership has jumped from 65 percent in 1970 to 75 percent today. African American home ownership has risen from 42 percent in 1968 to 48 percent today (UFE.) Home ownership by ethnicity is as follows: European-American 73 percent, Asian American 54 percent, African-American and Hispanic 48 percent. Average US rate is 68 percent (Vasquez Latinos F1).

Denial rates for mortgage application are strongly indicative of practices that leave out people of color. In 2002, the denial rates were as follows: European-American 9.2 percent, Asian-Americans 12.1 percent, Hispanic 20.1 percent, and African-American 22.1 percent (Vasquez Loan C1)

Stock ownership reached a few more people of color. But the typical shareholder of color owned $1,800 less stock at the end of the 3 years than the beginning; the typical white shareholder owned $200 more. The same pattern held for retirement accounts such as 401(k) plans and IRAs. Among people of color, the typical retirement account fell 30% from $14,200 to $10,000. Meanwhile, the typical retirement account for whites rose 24% from $28,300 to $35,000 (Leondar-Wright).

In 2008, the poverty rate increased for non-Hispanic Whites (8.6 percent in 2008 -- up from 8.2 percent in 2007), Asians (11.8 percent in 2008 -- up from 10.2 percent in 2007) and Hispanics (23.2 percent in 2008 -- up from 21.5 percent in 2007). Poverty rates in 2008 were statistically unchanged for Blacks (24.7 percent). The poverty rate in 2008 (13.2 percent) was the highest poverty rate since 1997 but was 9.2 percentage points lower than in 1959, the first year for which poverty estimates are available. The poverty rate increased for children under 18 years old (19.0 percent in 2008 -- up from 18.0 percent in 2007) and people 18 to 64 years old (11.7 percent in 2008 -- up from 10.9 percent in 2007), while it remained statistically unchanged for people 65 years and over (9.7 percent). (US Census 2010)

Problems black men face begin early; black children are twice as likely to be expelled from preschool than other children (Fulbright).

Percentage of all white fourth-grade public school students in the United States who are eligible for the federal government's free or reduced-price lunch program: 22.7% ·Percentage of all black fourth-grade public school students in the United States who are eligible for the federal government's free or reduced-price lunch program: 69.8% (U.S. Department of Education)(Vital Summer 2004)

According to the Census Bureau, 37 percent of households led by Latino women - mostly Mexican - remain below the poverty line(Rizvi).

According to Census Bureau, median household income for American Indians and Alaska Natives, based on a 1998/2000 average: $31,799. This is higher than for African -Americans ($28,679), not statistically different from Hispanics ($31,703) and lower than for non-Hispanic Whites ($45,514), and Asians and Pacific Islanders ($52,553) (Glaczko).

Poverty rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives, based on a 1998/2000 average, 25.9%. This means there are 701,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives below the poverty line (Glaczko).

African-Americans suffer twice the unemployment rate of other groups. One in nine African-Americans cannot find a job (UFE).

Black infants are nearly two and a half times more likely to die as European-American infants before age one, a gap greater than in 1970 (UFE).

US has highest population behind bars in the world: One in eight black men in their 20s and 30s are incarcerated, compared to 1 in 63 white men. (based on Justice Dept. figures) (Shane 7A). Prison rolls are at an all-time high as of 2004, with 2.267 million people in prisons. In 2004 law officers made more arrests for drug ciolations than for any other offense (Carroll.) And one in 37 adults in the US have been in jail or prison or are in now--the highest incarceration rate in the world (5.6 million).

Though African-Americans are roughly 12 percent of the US population, they comprise about half of those who are behind bars (Street 39). About 8.4 percent of the country's black men between 25 and 29 were in state or federal prison in 2004. Black men made up an estaimted 41 percent of inmates iwth a sentence of more than one year (Carroll.)

A study of 328 criminal cases in which the imprisoned party was exonerated, or shown to be innocent, over the last 15 years suggests that thousands of innocent people are in prison today. Most of the exonerations were in rape and murder cases. and most cases involved mis-identification by witnesses. The problem was especially pronounced in rape cases involving African-American men: while 29 percent of those in prison for rape are African-American, 65 percent of those who were exonerated of the crime in this study were African-American, suggesting mis-identification of witnesses across races (Thousands).

The US Senate apologized Monday for never having outlawed lynching, which took the lives of at least 4,700 people between 1880 and 1960. Eight percent occurred in Southern states. Fewer than one percent of the lylnchings were followed by serious attempts to bring those responsible to justice. More than 200 anti-lynching bills were introduced in the first half of the 20th century, and seven presidents unsuccessfully urged their passage. (Markoe.)

More people died trying to enter the US illegally in 2005 than any time since the Border Patrol began counting in 1998: 460, almost forty percent more than last year. (Hendricks.)

WEALTH

Although the U.S. economy still accounts for 19 percent of the world total, China is closing the gap—now accounting for 16 percent of GWP, up from 15 percent in 2006.9 China’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew dramati­cally in 2007, jumping an estimated 11.7 percent and making up one third of the projected $3.7 trillion in GWP growth in 2007.10 Increases in exports and investments drove this expansion (2010 State of the World).

In the United States, in the last survey year, 1998, the richest 1 percent of households owned 38 percent of all wealth (Wolff).

The official poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007. In 2008, 39.8 million people were in poverty, up from 37.3 million in 2007 -- the second consecutive annual increase in the number of people in poverty (Poverty).

The top 5 percent own more than half of all wealth. In 1998, they owned 59 percent of all wealth. Or to put it another way, the top 5 percent had more wealth than the remaining 95 percent of the population, collectively(Wolff).

The top 20 percent owns over 80 percent of all wealth. In 1998, it owned 83 percent of all wealth(Wolff).

It is more difficult than at any point since WWII for people to climb socially. In 1978, 23 percent of the men whose fathers were in the bottom 25 percent of the population according to social and economic status were able to make it to the top 25 percent. Now only 10 percent of the men with poor fathers have been able to rise that far (Krugman 16).

The bottom 20 percent basically have zero wealth. They either have no assets, or their debt equals or exceeds their assets. The bottom 20 percent has typically accumulated no savings(Wolff).

A household in the middle-the median household - has wealth of about $62,000. $62,000 is not insignificant, but if you consider that the top 1 percent of households' average wealth is $12.5 million, you can see what a difference there is in the distribution(Wolff).

The richest 10 percent of families own about 85 percent of all outstanding stocks. They own about 85 percent of all financial securities, 90 percent of all business assets(Wolff).

In the United States today, there are more private vehicles on the road than people licensed to drive them, the Worldwatch report points out. The average size of refrigerators in U.S. households increased by 10 percent between 1972 and 2001, and the number per home rose as well. New houses in the U.S. were 38 percent bigger in 2000 than in 1975, despite having fewer people in each household on average. As a result of these consumption patterns, the United States, with just 4.5 percent of the world's population, releases 25 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions (Richer).

Yet increased consumption has not brought Americans happiness. About a third of Americans report being "very happy," the same share as in 1957, when Americans were only half as wealthy. Americans are also some of the most overworked people in the industrial world, putting in the equivalent of nine more weeks on the job each year than the average European (Richer)

There are now 13 million single-parent households in the United States and about 25 percent of all children live with only one parent. Women head 79 percent of white single-parent households, 83 percent of Hispanic single-parent households, and 90 percent of African American single-parent households(Hughey).

Approximately 45 percent of children in the United States who are raised by divorced mothers and 69 percent of those raised by never-married mothers live at or below the poverty line (Hughey).

Percentage, respectively, of the U.S. fathers and mothers responsible for child support who do not pay it : 26, 36 (Harpers May).

30 million people in the United States go hungry at night. Census Bureau figures identify children, single mothers, and the elderly as most likely to face hunger (Rizvi).

One in six children in the United States continues to live in poverty. Three out of four poor children live in families where someone worked and one in three poor children lives with a full-time year-round workers. More than 5.1 million children live in extremely low-income households spending at least half of their income on housing. Twenty-two million adults and 13 million children live in households suffering from hunger or "food insecurity without hunger"(State of America's).

More than a million children regularly go to bed hungry in the US, according to a government report that shows a startling increase in the number of families struggling to put food on the table.President Barack Obama, who pledged to eradicate childhood hunger, has described as "unsettling" the agriculture department survey, which says 50 million people in the US – one in six of the population – were unable to afford to buy sufficient food to stay healthy at some point last year, in large part because of escalating unemployment or poorly paid jobs. That is a rise of more than one-third on the year before and the highest number since the survey began in 1995.The agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, said: "These numbers are a wake-up call … for us to get very serious about food security and hunger, about nutrition and food safety in this country."Vilsack said he expected the numbers to worsen when the survey for this year is released in 2010 (McGrail).

in 2009, 6.7 million people in the US were defined as having "very low food security" because they regularly lacked sufficient to eat. Among them, 96% reported that the food they bought did not last until they had money to buy more. Nearly all said they could not afford to eat balanced meals. Although few reported that this was a permanent situation throughout the year, 88% said it had occurred in three or more months (McGrail).

ECONOMICS

According to the New York Times, the largest corporations in the U.S. have been paying fewer taxes than ever before, since new Bush Administration tax policies were enacted. The 275 wealthiest U.S. companies generated $1.1 trillion in revenue from 2001 to 2003, but only paid taxes on half of that. (Organic Consumers Corporations)

WORK

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the number of people out of work for 27 weeks or more hit 6.1 million Americans, or 40 percent of all 15.3 million jobless. This is the most since 1948, when the data was first recorded, according to the Department of Labor. On average, it now takes 20.5 weeks to find a new job – double the amount of time in the 1982-83 recession (Scherer).

Many of the long-term unemployed are older workers, but some are the very young who were the first fired. A significant percentage of them don’t have a college degree, but some do. And many of them are now so discouraged they have lost their belief that a job exists for them (Scherer).

More than 30 million US citizens--one in four workers--are doing low paying jobs (below $8.70 an hour)that do not provide the basics for a decent life. They are security guards, child care givers, fast food and retail clerks, nursing home aides, hotel workers, chicken processors, custodians, call center employees (Shulman 20-21).

The average top executive in the US gets 400 times more in pay than the typical hourly employee at the same company. Comparisons: Brazil 57 to 1, Mexico 45 to 1, Australia 22 to 1, Italy 19 to 1, Japan 10 to 1. (Hightower 1-3).

Since March 2001, the US private sector has lost 3.1 million jobs, or 2.8 percent of US total jobs, the largest decline since the Great Depression; six of the Federal Reserve's 12 regional districts are experiencing subpart or sluggish economic growth (Lazarus 11).

Number of states in which Wal-Mart is the largest employer : 21 (Harpers June).

Percentage of employed U.S. mothers who think full-time mothers look down on them : 66. Percentage of full-time mothers who think employed mothers look down on them : 73 (Harpers May.)

If a woman wants to increase her income by taking non-traditional work, she is unlikely to succeed. The Census Bureau compiled statistics on hundreds of job categories in its 2000 count, and found just five where women typically earn as much as men. These are: hazardous-material removal, telecommunications line installers, meeting and convention planners, dining or cafeteria workers, and construction trade helpers. Except for meeting planners, these fields are dominated by men (Armas 5A).

In female-dominated fields, such as kindergarten and preschool teaching, which is 98 percent female, men out drew women by $5000 a year. In nursing, which is 91 percent female, men earned an average of $3,000 more than women (Armas 5A.)

While 98 percent of kindergarten teachers are women, only 37 percent of college professors are. While 98 percent of dental hygienists are women, only four percent of dentists are. Ten percent of management positions are held by women. Of the Fortune 500 companies, two are headed by women (Mantilla 13).

Nationally, the median income for women working full time and year round was $28,000, compared to $38,000 for a man. A woman in 2003 earned 74 cents for every dollar earned by a man. In 1963, women earned about 59 cents for every man's dollar (Armas 5A).

Luntz has identified an issue that could be dynamite. Most Americans, not only mothers, feel increasingly time crunched. The Wall Street Journal confirmed that Americans are working 20% longer today than in 1970, while work-time has declined in other industrial countries. A recent poll released by the Center for a New American Dream found 88% of Americans agreeing that "working too many hours results in not having enough time to spend with families." Half say they're willing to sacrifice some pay for more time (de Graaf).

Sixty two percent of US workers say their workload has increased in the past six months, and 53 percent say work leaves them "overtired and overwhelmed. Decades of research link stress to everything from heart attacks to stroke, diabetes, weakened immune systems--and now researchers are connecting the dots back to the workplace. Workplace stress costs the nation more than $300 billion yearly in health care, missed work, and stress reduction industry costs (Schwartz).

A poll commissioned by Hilton Hotels found that only 23 percent of Americans come to work refreshed on Mondays. Our vacations are disappearing ­ a recent Harris survey found that 37% of women earning less than $40,000 a year (and 28% of all working women) receive no paid vacation at all. On average, Americans work nearly nine weeks (350 hours) more each year than western Europeans (deGraaf).

American public policies protecting our family and personal time fall far short of those in other countries. A study released last June by the Harvard School of Public Health, covering 168 of the world's nations concluded that "the United States lags dramatically behind all high-income countries, as well as many middle- and low-income countries when it comes to public policies designed to guarantee adequate working conditions for families." The study found that:163 of 168 countries guarantee paid leave for mothers in connection with childbirth. 45 countries offer such leave to fathers. The U.S. does neither.139 countries guarantee paid sick leave. The U.S. does not.96 countries guarantee paid annual (vacation) leave. The U.S. does not. 84 countries have laws that fix a maximum limit on the workweek. The U.S. does not. 37 countries guarantee parents paid time off when children are sick. The U.S. does not (deGraaf).

Fulltime American workers work on average about 46 weeks per year; fulltime British, French and German workers work only 41 weeks per year (Krugman).

HEALTH

A new chemical study of umbilical chord samples from the American Red Cross has found that babies have an average of 200 known toxic chemicals in their blood, including mercury, fire retardants, pesticides and a chemical used in the production of Teflon, even before being born. The tests found that hundreds of chemicals, pollutants and pesticides are stored in body fat over a lifetime and then pumped from mother to fetus through umbilical cord blood. Overall, chemical absorption can be reduced by eating organic foods, and by reducing exposure to toxins at home and at work (Organic Consumers Newborns).

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that one of the main sources of pesticide exposure for U.S. children comes from the food they eat. According to the Food and Drug Administration, half of produce currently tested in grocery stores contains measurable residues of pesticides. Laboratory tests of eight industry-leader baby foods reveal the presence of 16 pesticides, including three carcinogens. According to EPA's "Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment," children receive 50% of their lifetime cancer risks in the first two years of life. In blood samples of children aged 2 to 4, concentrations of pesticide residues are six times higher in children eating conventionally farmed fruits and vegetables compared with those eating organic food(Organic Consumers).

Percentage of US adults who are overweight: 66. Obese: 33 Percentage of inactive or under-active adults: 60 (Harpers June).

In 2001, 4.8 percent of the population--up slightly over the past four years-- was unable to obtain needed medical care in the past year due to financial barriers (Early).

14.1 percent of the population -- some 38.9 million Americans of all ages -- was without health insurance coverage in the first half of 2001. Working-age adults were more likely than seniors or children to lack health insurance coverage(Early).

Eight out of every 10 people without health coverage either work or are children of working parents. And only 64 percent of workers at larger businesses employing 200 or more receive coverage through their employers (Greenhouse).

Costly illnesses lead to about half of all personal bankruptcies, and health insurance offers no protectiion against ending up penniless, according to a new Harvard University study. Medical-caused bankrupcty affects about two million Americans annually, counting debtors and their dependents, who include 700,000 children. More than three-fourths had coverage at the start of the illness that caused bankruptcy; 38 percent had lost coverage at least temporarily because of job and/or insurance loss.(Jewell.)

Percentage of non-Hispanic white Americans who did not have health insurance coverage in 2003: 11.1% · Percentage of African Americans who did not have health insurance coverage in 2003: 19.6% (U.S. Bureau of the Census)(Vital Autumn 2004)

Costly illnesses lead to about half of all personal bankruptcies, and health insurance offers no protection against ending up penniless, according to a new Harvard University study. Medical-caused bankruptcies afflict about 2 million US citizens each year, counting debtors and their approximately 700,000 children . More than three fourths with medical related bankruptcies had coverage when the illness began; many lost coverage when illness affected their ability to work (Jewell).

Percentage of white American adult women with high blood pressure: 26.6% · Percentage of African-American adult women with high blood pressure: 39.5% (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey)(Vital Autumn 2004)

Number of tuberculosis cases among every 100,000 white Americans in 2003: 1.2 · Number of tuberculosis cases among every 100,000 African Americans in 2003: 9.1 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)(Vital Summer 2004)

Number of Americans lynched in the United States from 1880 to 1960: 4,749 (Tuskegee University)(Vital Autumn 2004)

One in eight--9.3 million--children have no health insurance, though some are covered by state or federal aid (State of America's).

Proportion of people in US with jobs who had full employer-provided health insurance in 1988: 21 percent. Proportion of people in US with jobs who have full employer-provided health insurance today: 4 percent (McIntyre 3F).

Increase in average worker's cost for family health insurance: 50 percent since 2000. Costs have risen from $1,619 to $2,412 per year (Jobs, quoting Kaiser Family Foundation).

A record 46.6 million Americans had no health insurance in 2005 and fewer people received coverage through their employment. Just four yars earlier, in 2001, the census estimated that 62.6 percetn of peoploe were covered and 14.6 uninsured. In 2005 the uninsured rose to 15.9 percent. With medical costs rising about three times faster than wages, employers have reduced coverage and shifted more costs onto employees. (Colliver.)

26.8% is the proportion of American Indians and Alaska Natives lacking health insurance coverage, based on a 1998-2000 average. This rate is significantly higher than the rates of African Americans (19.5 percent), Asians and Pacific Islanders (18.8 percent) and non Hispanic Whites (10.1 percent), but lower than that of Hispanics (32.8 percent) (More).

Percentage of US children and adolescents who are overweight: 20. Percentage of children who get recommended daily servings of fruit, veggies, grains: 2 Percentage of children whose cholesterol levels are too high: 33 Percentage of fifth, seventh, ninth graders in CA who did not meet fitness goals in 2001: 75 (Collier E1).

Percentage of inactive or under-active kids ages 12-21: 50 (Harpers June).

Varieties of snack foods for sale in 1960s: 250. Varieties for sale 1999: 2,000 (Harpers June).

US citizens consume 34 percent of their calories outside the home (May E1).

22.3 percent of adults are current smokers, indicating a continued decline in smoking (Early).

About one in 10 American adults (ages 18-64) consumed alcohol excessively. For both men and women, younger adults were more likely to drink excessively than older adults (Early).

For the first time in a decade, the number of new AIDS cases in the US is on the increase. New infections increased 2.2 percent last year, a sign of dangerous complacency about the disease (Heinrichs 7A).

Over 80 percent of the population currently resides in urban areas, with about a third of the population living in the 10 largest metropolitan areas of the United States. Another 11 percent live in the second tier of metropolitan areas. Note that between 1982 and 1997, the total amount of "urbanized" land in the United States increased from around 51 million acres to about 76 million acres, an increase of some 47 percent(Hughey).

More than half of US citizens will develop a mental illness at some point in life, often beginning in childhood or adolescence, says a comprehensive new survey (Carey).

AGING

In 1980, about 64 percent of the population was under age 40, while only 16 percent were age 60 and over. By 2030, this number is expected to increase from 16 percent to 26 percent of the total population (Hughey).

Chance that a U.S. senior citizen reports having skipped medications or not filled prescriptions because of cost : 1 in 5 (Harpers June).

Number of Medicare patients dropped since 1998 by U.S. HMOs claiming inadequate reimbursement rates : 2,400,000 (Harpers June).

US ENVIRONMENT:

The amount of toxic pollution in the air, water, and land in the US increased five percent in 2002, the biggest increase since the government began tracking pollutant levels in 1988. Industries poured 4.79 billion pounds of 650 different poisons into the environment in this year. Mercury and lead, which harm the nervous systems and development of children, increased by ten percent and three percent. Dioxin, another highly toxic chemical, dropped by five percent (Borenstein 10A).

Minimum number of chronic medical disorders linked to exposure to industrial chemicals : 110 (Harpers June)

Average number of industrial compounds and pollutants that can be found in an American's blood and urine : 91 (Harpers May).

Pollution from electric power plants in the United States shortens the lives of more than 30,00 0 people every year, according to a new report released here by environmental and health researchers. The study concludes that soot, or fine particle air pollution, from the nation's aging coal-fired power plants is also causing tens of thousands of asthma attacks, cardiac problems and upper and lower respiratory problems each year (Knight).

Percentage change since 1973 in overall U.S. energy consumption : +27 Percentage change since then in U.S. oil imports : +86 (Harpers June)

The US has two percent of world's oil reserves. (The US has about 4.6 percent of the world's population, based on the US Census Bureau's current estimate of the world population at 6.377 billion and on the factmonstor.com's estimate that the US has 293 million people.) The US uses a quarter of the world's oil and 43 percent of the world's gasoline. The US imports 56 percent of its gas and oil. Gas use, and the number of cars on the road, are steadily increasing in California despite higher gas prices (Shore 7B).

For the first time, in 2003, the typical American family has more vehicles in the garage than licensed drivers in the house, according to the US Transportation Department's latest national survey. There are 107 million US households, each with an average of 1.9 cars, trucks or sport utility vehicles and an average of 1.8 drivers, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported. That equals 204 million vehicles and 191 million drivers (Cars).

EDUCATION

Seven out of ten fourth graders cannot read or do math at grade level. (State of America's).

Ninety percent of the nation's children attend public schools. Children in the poorest families are six times as likely as children in more affluent families to drop out of high school. Almost one in ten teens ages 16 to 19 is a school dropout (State of America's).

Three-quarters of the nation's public schools are in need of repairs, renovations, and modernization. The average school building is more than 40 years old. Yet states spend on average almost three times as much per prisoner as per public school pupil(State of America's).

About two-thirds of the nation's 3 million new high school graduates will start college soon, but only half will graduate from college (Matthews 9A) .

The nation's 10.6 million public college students are at higher risk than those 2.7 million who are at more costly private schools. Public colleges have fewer means to intervene by helping students with their various needs (Matthews 9A)

College students in virtually every state will be required to shoulder more of the cost of their education under new federal rules for financial aid. Because of the changes, which take effect in the 2005-06 academic year and are expected to save the government $300 million annually, at least 1.3 million low-income students will receive smaller Pell Grants, the nation's primary scholarship, according to two analyses of the new rules. In addition, 89,000 students or so who would otherwise be getting some Pell Grant money will get none, the analyses found (Winter).

A report released Thursday by the National Endowment for the Arts says the number of non-reading adults increased by more than 17 million between 1992 and 2002. Only 47 percent of American adults read "literature" (poems, plays, narrative fiction) in 2002, a drop of 7 points from a decade earlier. Those reading any book at all in 2002 fell to 57 percent, down from 61 percent (Italie).

POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT:

Total number of ballots ruled "spoiled" in the 2000 presidential election in the state of Florida: 180,000 · Number of these spoiled ballots that were cast by African Americans: 94,500 · Estimated number of spoiled ballots cast by blacks who voted for Al Gore: 85,000 · Margin of victory by George W. Bush over Al Gore in the presidential race in Florida in 2000: 535 votes (United States Civil Rights Commission)(Vital Autumn 2004)

In 1960, 60 percent of the nation's television households had their sets on and tuned to the October presidential debates. In 2000, fewer than 30 percent were tuned in (Patterson).

In 1960, 59.4 percent of eligible US citizens were registered to vote; only 63 percent of those registered voted. In 1964 the number registered jumped to 66.24 percent, but only 61.9 percent voted. In 1984, 71.16 percent were registered--an all time high--but only 53.1 percent voted. In 1992 70 percent were registered, but only 55 percent of them voted (National).

More than 60 percent of non-Hispanic European-Americans voted in 200, compared to 56 percent of voting age African-Americans, 45 percent of Hispanics, and 43 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders. Only 36 percent of the 18-24 year olds voted in that election. The biggest factor in young peoples' voting in education: 41 percent of college students voted in 1998, compared to only 25 percent of those with a high school education or less(Fact).

PENAL SYSTEM

The number of people in US prisons and jails, or on probation or parole, reached a record high in 2003, totaling 6.9 million, or 3.2 percent of the population (Record 6A).

America's inmate population grew by 2.9 percent in 2003, to almost 2.1 million people, with one of every 75 men living in prison or jail. The inmate population continued its rise despite a fall in the crime rate and many states' efforts to reduce some sentences, especially for low-level drug offenders. A report by the Justice Department attributes much of the increase to get-tough policies enacted during the 1980s and 1990s, such as mandatory drug sentences, "three-strikes" laws for repeat offenders, and laws that restrict early releases (1 of).

Each year during the 1990s, 25 new prisons went up in the United States. This is up from 16 per year in the 1980s and 4 per year in the 1970s. Rural communities in particular want prisons because they provide steady, recession-proof employment (Street 39).

Women made up seven percent of inmates in federal and state prisons in 2004, and accounted for nearly one in four arrests. This is due to increased participation in drug crimes, violent crimes, and fraud. The number of incarcerated women was at an all-time high as a result ( Carroll.)

Three million children in a year are reported abused or neglected and referred for investigation or assessment; close to 900,000 of them are confirmed as victims of child maltreatment. Child abuse and domestic violence co-occur in an estimated 30 to 60 percent of the families where there is some form of family violence. (State of America's).

The national crime rate has dropped nearly 25 percent since 1993, but more than one-quarter of violent crime victims known to police in the U.S. are juveniles(State of America's).

Youths ages 16 to 19 currently experience overall violence, including rape and general assault, at higher rates than people in all other age categories. Eight children and teens die from gunfire in the U.S. each day - one child every three hours (State of America's).

Two-thirds of youths in the juvenile justice system have one or more diagnosable mental health disorders. Girls are the fastest growing segment of the juvenile justice population: The arrest rate for females under age 18 increased more than 14 percent between 1993 and 2002, while the rate for males under age 18 decreased(State of America's).

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