DMI Injustice Index: The United Estates of America

Sarah Solon

DMI Injustice Index: The United Estates of America

Fresh off the press, we present to you the latest installment of the DMI INJUSTICE INDEX.
This time we take a look at the estate tax, at ever more expensive college educations, at minute-by-minute spending on the war in Iraq, at the hefty bankrolls of some elected officials, at the sad state of gas prices, and - of course - at American Idol. There's more, too.

Savor, discuss, and offer up some statistics of your own.

-People who, according to the Wall Street Journal's editorial page, pay the estate tax: "the thrifty middle class and entrepreneurs"

-Actual percentage of all U.S. Estates that will be affected by the federal estate tax in 2006: 0.27

-Amount that repealing the estate tax will cost the United States in the first decade: nearly $1 trillion

-Amount the U.S. national debt increased in fiscal year 2005: $553.7 billion

-Minimum amount the tax reconciliation bill approved by Congress in May will cost the public over five years: $70 billion

-Percentage of the capital gains and dividend tax cuts in the bill that will go to households with incomes over $1 million a year: 45

-Average tax cut for middle-class households in the bill: $20

-Average tax cut for households with incomes over $1 million: $43,000

-Number of U.S. Congress members who are millionaires: 170

-Minimum amount incoming Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. will save on his taxes if he puts assets in a blind trust and uses this opportunity to diversify his holdings, as he is expected to: $48 million

-Percentage increase in taxes on their college savings some teenagers will see under the new tax bill: 250

-Percentage increase in four-year public university tuition and fees during President Bush's tenure: 57

-Percentage of high school seniors that performed at or above the basic level in science in 2005: 54

-Percentage of eligible youth population (18-30) that cast votes in the 2004 presidential election: 48.75

-Approximate number of votes received by President Bush in the 2004 presidential election: 62 million

-Votes cast for American Idol in this season's finale: 63.4 million

-In Alabama, home of the latest American Idol winner, percentage of income paid by middle-class taxpayers compared to percentage of income paid by upper-class taxpayers: 9.8 vs. 3.8

-Amount increasing gas prices has added to the cost of average commute in the last five years: $247.50/year

-Amount the price of commuting in Air Force One for one hour rose from 2004 to 2006: $25,018 (up ~44%)

-Percentage increase in gas prices over the last five years (5/29/01-5/29/06): 77.0

-Amount awarded by Congress in federal tax breaks and giveaways to oil companies as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and prior legislation: $14 billion

-Current U.S. spending on the war in Iraq: $100,000 per minute

-Proportion of United States veterans under the age of 25 that are not covered by health insurance: 1 in 3

-Percentage increase in workers' earnings in 2005: 2.7

-Percentage increase in health insurance premiums in 2005: 9.2

-Percentage decrease in the number of young workers (aged 18-24) covered by employer-based insurance between 2000 and 2004: 8.4 percentage points

-Number of bills given to the president in 2006 that affect health insurance: 2 (State High Risk Pool Funding Extension Act of 2006 and Deficit Reduction Act of 2005)

-Number of documents containing the words "health insurance" on the White House website: 950

-Number of documents containing the word "marriage" on the White House website: 1106

Sarah Solon: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 5:43 PM, Jun 08, 2006 in
Permalink | Email to Friend | Comments (7)

Comments

I'd like to bring to eveyone's attention a op-ed in the Times on outsourcing of CEOs' jobs. Finally.

These statistics are horrifying.

But, not surprising.

I especially like the way you've hotlinked the items to media reports and, often, to the substantive research. It's very well done and a pleasure to use. Thanks.

This is a disaster, just one of many tax cuts to the super rich that we can't afford. I am getting tired of these. Take for example all the other tax cuts for the rich plus, the mounting national debt. We can't afford any tax cuts, much less, ones for the super wealthy.

http://payyourshare.blogspot.com/2006/04/why-debt-as-percentage-of-gdp-is.html

Sad. There is, truly, only one answer to this problem. The Free Market. ALL taxes (sales, income, estate, etc...) and government services should simply be phased out over a 10 year period with the free market filling in the void.

From police to roads to courts to lawmaking to safety regulations, everything would be much better done on a voluntary, consentual, and competitive framework, as opposed to an unnaccountable coercive and monopolistic government.

Aaron, you've got to be kidding... The only thing you get when offloading govt. responsibility to the private sector is substandard work done for pure profit motive. If you want to pay twice as much and get half the results, go ahead.

Show me one example where the govt. outsourced something that ended up costing less and being better quality as a result. I've never seen that happen.

On the other hand, contractors who hope to get this kind of non-competitive, over-priced, under-performing work are elated at the thought of profiting from the public trough.

the point of the estate tax is that gargantuan inequality should not be allowed to fester, and that from those to whom much is given because they thrive in our strong economy (erected by the work of our tax dollars), a modest amount is expected in return in order to continue making our economy one that produces wealth.