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U.S. Taxpayers’ Quarterly Report
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Government Affairs
The foundation of America is the promise of progress. As a people, we are committed to continually making our nation stronger. Since the start of the new millennium, the Bush administration has spent $2.2 trillion that we didn’t have. It’s a bill that will have to be paid by our children. This report by The Center for American Progress, an organization dedicated to progress, assesses what we’ve gotten in return. It will be updated regularly, as new data becomes available.
|
Where We Started[1] |
Where We Are Now[2] |
Trend |
|
|
S&P 500 |
1,382.27 [Source] |
$1,181.20 [Source] |
|
|
Price of Gas per Gallon |
$1.56 [Source] |
$2.28 [Source] |
|
|
New AIDS Diagnoses |
40,165 [Source] |
44,232 [Source] |
|
|
Home Ownership Rate |
67.5% [Source] |
69.2% [Source] |
|
|
Real Value of Minimum Wage |
$5.50 [Source] |
$5.10 [Source] |
|
|
Unemployment Rate |
4% [Source] |
5.2% [Source] |
|
|
Poverty Rate |
11.3% [Source] |
12.5% [Source] |
|
|
Number of Uninsured |
39.8 million [Source] |
45 million [Source] |
|
|
Inflation |
3.5% [Source] |
3.0% [Source] |
|
|
Murder Rate (per 100,000) |
5.5 [Source] |
5.7 [Source] |
|
|
Number of Active Duty Army Recruits Without a HS Diploma |
5% [Source] |
9% [Source] |
|
|
Number of Active Duty Army Recruits scoring below average on qualifying exam |
0.9% [Source] |
1.8% [Source] |
|
|
Federal Government Surplus/Deficit |
+23 billion [Source] |
-412 billion [Source] |
|
|
Federal Debt |
$5.6 trillion [Source] |
$7.8 trillion [Source] |
|
|
Debt Held By Foreigners |
$1.01 trillion |
$1.96 trillion |
|
|
Dollar v. Euro |
$1 = 1.12 Euros [Source] |
$1 = 0.78 Euros [Source] |
|
|
Dollar v. Yen |
$1 = 121.68 Yen |
$1 = 108.26 Yen |
|
|
Median Household Income |
$45,000 [Source] |
$43,318 [Source] |
|
|
Average Cost of 4-Year Public College (2004 Dollars) |
$9,131 [Source] |
$11,354 [Source] |
|
|
Motor Vehicle Fatality Rate (per 100 million motor vehicles) |
1.53 [Source] |
1.48 [Source] |
|
|
Number of States with High Mercury Levels |
40 [Source] |
45 [Source] |
|
|
Workers With Employee Health Coverage |
65% [Source] |
61% [Source] |
|
|
Gross Domestic Product (2000 dollars) |
$9.8 trillion [Source] |
$10.8 trillion [Source] |
|
|
Monthly Trade Deficit |
-$33.3 billion [Source] |
-$58.3 billion [Source] |
|
|
Number of Adult Smokers |
46.5 million [Source] |
45.8 million [Source] |
|
|
Americans Filing for Bankruptcy |
1.25 million [Source] |
1.66 million [Source] |
|
|
Adult Obesity Rate |
20.1% [Source] |
22.1% [Source] |
|
|
Incidents of International Terrorism |
100 [Source] |
300 [Source] |
|
|
Grade 4 Math Scores (NAEP Test) |
272 [Source] |
276 [Source] |
|
|
Annual Increase In Prescription Drug Prices |
4.1% [Source] |
6.9% [Source] |
|
|
U.S. Global Favorability Rating: Britain |
83% [Source] |
58% [Source] |
|
|
U.S. Global Favorability Rating: Germany |
78% [Source] |
38% [Source] |
|
|
Americans Generally Satisfied With the Way Things Are Going in the United States |
58% [Gallup] |
38% [Gallup] |
|
|
Americans Generally Dissatisfied With the Way Things Are Going in the United States |
41%[Gallup] |
59% [Gallup] |
|
-15%
+3%
[1] Most recent data as of 1/1/01
[2] Most recent data as of 4/10/05
The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.