Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Some more stats for the US

1. A 2007 The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report, the US ranked last among 21 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations in an assessment of child health and safety. The assessment measured infant mortality, immunization, and death from accidents and injuries. A related 2009 OECD study generally agreed, placing the US 24th out of 30 OECD countries for children's health and safety. Despite having the second-highest average income for children among the 30 OECD countries, the US ranked 27th out of 30 for child poverty (percentage of children living in households that are below 50% of the median income).

2. 40% of recent college graduates are living with their parents, dealing with government loans that average $27,200. The unemployment rate for young people is about 50%. More than 350,000 Americans with advanced degrees applied for food stamps in 2010.

3. American homeowners owe  $700 billion of debt over and above the value of their homes. For every dollar of non-home wealth owned by white families, people of color have only one cent. When minority families were specifically targeted for high-risk, subprime loans that could be re-packaged and sold for a quick short-term profit, most of their assets were erased. Median wealth fell 66% for Hispanic households and 53% for black households. For whites the decline was 16%.

4. About half of the US prison population is in jail for non-violent drug offenses.  In 2011 alone, more than 50,000 New Yorkers -- 87 percent of whom are black or Latino -- were arrested for petty marijuana possession. Though often considered a trivial arrest, a pot conviction can have serious consequences. Like other drug cases, a pot arrest strips people of their access to student loans, public housing and quality jobs. Because the majority of marijuana arrestees are male youths of color in low-income neighborhoods, the consequences can be especially damaging to entire communities. More New Yorkers have been arrested for pot under five years of Bloomberg than 24 years of mayors Giuliani, Dinkins and Koch combined.
As of 2003, in California there were 344 individuals serving sentences of 25 years or more for shoplifting as a third offense, in many cases after two non-violent offenses.
The savings and loan fraud cost the nation between $300 billion and $500 billion, about 100 times more than the total cost of burglaries in 2010. The financial system bailout has already cost the country $3 trillion. Firms accused of fraud and insider trading are Goldman Sachs Morgan Stanley, Bear Stearns, Bank of America, Countrywide Financial, and Wells Fargo. The New York Times reported in 2008 that the Justice Department had postponed the bribery or fraud prosecutions of over 50 corporations, choosing instead to enter into agreements involving fines and "monitoring" periods.

5. Bypass surgery in the US costs two to three times more than in Great Britain, Canada, France, and Germany. Cataract surgery costs four times more. There are currently about 50 million uninsured Americans. The Annual Review of Public Health, is that "the health rankings of the United States have declined substantially when compared with other nations."

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