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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=tanstl@aol.com href="mailto:tanstl@aol.com">David Sladky</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Friday, January 11, 2013 8:07 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Fwd: "75 Economic Numbers From 2012 That Are Almost Too
Crazy To Believe", Michael, The Economic Collapse (No. 5 of 11
transmissions)</DIV></DIV>
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face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></FONT><BR><BR>
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From: <A
href="mailto:jpstolten@frontier.com">jpstolten@frontier.com</A><BR>Subject: "75
Economic Numbers From 2012 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe", Michael, The
Economic Collapse (No. 5 of 11 transmissions)<BR>Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2013 10:18:15
-0600<BR><BR>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial><FONT size=3>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face=Arial>Hi;</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face=Arial></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face=Arial>Below is the Thursday, December 20, 2012
article in The Economic Collapse titled "75 Economic Numbers From 2012 That Are
Almost Too Crazy To Believe" by Michael. Below that is the link to the
article. This article was forwarded to me by a friend who cautioned that
she could not verify the accuracy of the claims.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>My reason for passing this article on is to make the point
that no matter how bad economic conditions are today, and they may be as bad as
this article claims, they are probably going to be much worse in the not too
distant future. This is because American capitalism is dysfunctional and
failing, and because, and this is important, American capitalism is not
being managed for the benefit of all of American society. Instead, it is
being managed for the sole benefit of the very largest pro-fascist
capitalists. The very largest pro-fascist capitalists want all
of the economic power they can possibly usurp not because they are greedy and
want bigger yachts, fancier Swiss chalets, and/or higher class
prostitutes. They want it because in their American fascist
capitalist military/police state overwhelming economic power places
them in the position where they can buy more fascist political power than their
competition who also are very large pro-fascist capitalists.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>OK, so I was wrong about the bigger yachts, fancier Swiss
chalets and higher class prostitutes. They want those also.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Now, for the obligatory plug for the Second
Amendment. It is the sociopaths in this very top layer in the
pro-fascist capitalist class, who lust for all forms of power,
and who feel very threatened by an armed working class,
who want to have a complete monopoly on this sort of power also. Hence,
their relentless drive to destroy the Second Amendment, via gun control, in
which the endgame is the confiscation of all privately owned firearms
except theirs. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face=Arial></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face=Arial>John P. Stoltenberg, P.E.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face=Arial>N8362 State Highway 67</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face=Arial>P.O. Box 596</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face=Arial>Elkhart Lake, WI</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>53020-0596</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>920-876-2184</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><A
href="mailto:jpstolten@frontier.com">jpstolten@frontier.com</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT face=Arial><FONT face=Arial><FONT face=Arial><FONT
color=#0000ff face=Arial><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3>PS #1: T<FONT
face=Arial><FONT face=Arial>he original
def</FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT
face=Arial><FONT face=Arial><FONT face=Arial><FONT face=Arial><FONT
color=#0000ff face=Arial><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><FONT face=Arial><FONT
face=Arial><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><FONT
face=Arial><FONT size=3>inition of fascism by the Italian
philosopher Giovanni Gentile is as follows: Fascism, a system
</FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT>of government that exercises a
dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and
business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3 face=Arial>Giovanni Gentile's definition of fascism was the
source for the definition of fascism in the American Heritage Dictionary of
the English Language which is as follows: Fascism, a philosophy or system of
government that advocates or exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right,
typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with an
ideology of belligerent nationalism.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3 face=Arial>The definition of fascist in the American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language is as follows: Fascist, a person who
advocates or practices fascism. By extension the term fascist also
applies to governments that advocate or practice fascism.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3 face=Arial>PS#2: The beauty of these two definitions of
fascism is they directly tie fascism with its creator which is
capitalism. Notice, a mass movement is not required to create a fascist
state.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3>PS #3: WARNING: Due to former Presidential
Executive Orders, the National Security Agency may have read this email without
warning, warrant, or notice. They may do this without any judicial or
legislative oversight. You have no recourse nor protection.
<DIV><FONT size=3 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3 face=Arial>PS #4: The link to the definition of sociopath and
the definition are as follows:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><A><FONT
size=3>http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=sociopath</FONT></A><FONT
size=3> </FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT size=3> </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000 size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<LI><A><FONT size=3>S:</FONT></A><A class=ecxpos><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>
(no) </FONT></A><FONT size=3><B>sociopath</B>, </FONT><A><FONT
size=3>psychopath</FONT></A><FONT size=3> (someone with a sociopathic
personality; a person with an antisocial personality disorder (`psychopath' was
once widely used but has now been superseded by `sociopath')) </FONT>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>PS #5: The link to the definition of psychopathy and the
definition are as follows:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociopath "
target=_blank>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociopath </A>;</FONT></DIV><FONT
size=3><B>Psychopathy</B> (pronounced <SPAN class=ecxIPA
title="Pronunciation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)"><A
title="Wikipedia:IPA for English"><FONT color=#002bb8
face="Lucida Sans Unicode">/sa?'k?p??i/</FONT></A></SPAN><SUP id=ecxcite_ref-0
class=ecxreference><A><FONT
color=#002bb8><SPAN>[</SPAN>1<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></A></SUP><SUP
id=ecxcite_ref-1 class=ecxreference><A><FONT
color=#002bb8><SPAN>[</SPAN>2<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></A></SUP>) is a </FONT><A
title="Personality disorder"><FONT color=#002bb8 size=3>personality
disorder</FONT></A><FONT size=3> whose hallmark is a lack of </FONT><A
title=Empathy><FONT color=#002bb8 size=3>empathy</FONT></A><FONT size=3>.
Researcher </FONT><A title="Robert Hare (psychologist)"><FONT color=#002bb8
size=3>Robert Hare</FONT></A><FONT size=3>, whose </FONT><A
title="Hare Psychopathy Checklist"><FONT color=#002bb8 size=3>Hare Psychopathy
Checklist</FONT></A><FONT size=3> is widely used, describes psychopaths as
"intraspecies predators<SUP id=ecxcite_ref-2 class=ecxreference><A><FONT
color=#002bb8><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></A></SUP><SUP
id=ecxcite_ref-3 class=ecxreference><A><FONT
color=#002bb8><SPAN>[</SPAN>4<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></A></SUP> who use </FONT><A
title=Charisma><FONT color=#002bb8 size=3>charisma</FONT></A><FONT size=3>,
</FONT><A title=Manipulation><FONT color=#002bb8
size=3>manipulation</FONT></A><FONT size=3>, </FONT><A title=Intimidation><FONT
color=#002bb8 size=3>intimidation</FONT></A><FONT size=3>, </FONT><A
title="Sexual intercourse"><FONT color=#002bb8 size=3>sexual
intercourse</FONT></A><FONT size=3> and </FONT><A title=Violence><FONT
color=#002bb8 size=3>violence</FONT></A><SUP id=ecxcite_ref-4
class=ecxreference><A><FONT color=#002bb8><FONT
size=3><SPAN>[</SPAN>5<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></FONT></A></SUP><SUP
id=ecxcite_ref-5 class=ecxreference><A><FONT color=#002bb8><FONT
size=3><SPAN>[</SPAN>6<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></FONT></A></SUP><SUP
id=ecxcite_ref-6 class=ecxreference><A><FONT color=#002bb8><FONT
size=3><SPAN>[</SPAN>7<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></FONT></A></SUP><FONT size=3> to
control others and to satisfy their own needs. Lacking in </FONT><A
title=Conscience><FONT color=#002bb8 size=3>conscience</FONT></A><FONT size=3>
and </FONT><A title=Empathy><FONT color=#002bb8 size=3>empathy</FONT></A><FONT
size=3>, they take what they want and do as they please, violating social
</FONT><A title="Norm (sociology)"><FONT color=#002bb8
size=3>norms</FONT></A><FONT size=3> and expectations without guilt or
remorse".<SUP id=ecxcite_ref-hare2_7-0 class=ecxreference><A><FONT
color=#002bb8><SPAN>[</SPAN>8<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></A></SUP> "What is missing,
in other words, are the very qualities that allow a human being to live in
social harmony."<SUP id=ecxcite_ref-8 class=ecxreference><A><FONT
color=#002bb8><SPAN>[</SPAN>9<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></A></SUP></FONT><BR><FONT
size=3>Psychopaths are glib and superficially charming, and many psychopaths are
excellent mimics of normal human emotion;<SUP
id=ecxcite_ref-withoutconscience_9-0 class=ecxreference><A><FONT
color=#002bb8><SPAN>[</SPAN>10<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></A></SUP> some psychopaths
can blend in, undetected, in a variety of surroundings, including corporate
environments.<SUP id=ecxcite_ref-snakes_10-0 class=ecxreference><A><FONT
color=#002bb8><SPAN>[</SPAN>11<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></A></SUP> There is neither a
cure nor any effective treatment for psychopathy; there are no medications or
other techniques which can instill empathy, and psychopaths who undergo
traditional talk therapy only become more adept at manipulating others.<SUP
id=ecxcite_ref-Patrick_2006_555.E2.80.93572_11-0 class=ecxreference><A><FONT
color=#002bb8><SPAN>[</SPAN>12<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></A></SUP> The consensus
among researchers is that psychopathy stems from a specific neurological
disorder which is biological in origin and present from birth.<SUP
id=ecxcite_ref-withoutconscience_9-1 class=ecxreference><A><FONT
color=#002bb8><SPAN>[</SPAN>10<SPAN>]</SPAN></FONT></A></SUP> It is estimated
that one percent of the general population are
psychopaths.</FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT><BR></LI></DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<HR>
<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,arial,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px">
<H1
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.2; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 26px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">75
Economic Numbers From 2012 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe</H1></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,arial,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px"><IMG
style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
alt="" src="http://gfx1.hotmail.com/mail/w4/pr04/ltr/i_safe.gif"> By
Michael, on December 20th, 2012 <SPAN>
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<DIV
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<DIV
style="MIN-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,arial,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px">
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/75-economic-numbers-from-2012-that-are-almost-too-crazy-to-believe/75-economic-numbers-from-2012-that-are-almost-too-crazy-to-believe"
rel="attachment wp-att-4985" target=_blank></A>What a year 2012 has been!
The mainstream media continues to tell us what a "great job" the Obama
administration and the Federal Reserve are doing of managing the economy, but
meanwhile things just continue to get even worse for the poor and the middle
class. It is imperative that we educate the American people about the true
condition of our economy and about why all of this is happening. If
nothing is done, our debt problems will continue to get worse, millions of jobs
will continue to leave the country, small businesses will continue to be
suffocated, the middle class will continue to collapse, and poverty in the
United States will continue to explode. Just "tweaking" things slightly is
not going to fix our economy. We need a fundamental change in
direction. Right now we are living in a bubble of debt-fueled false
prosperity that allows us to continue to consume far more wealth than we
produce, but when that bubble bursts we are going to experience the most painful
economic "adjustment" that America has ever gone through. We need to be
able to explain to our fellow Americans what is coming, why it is coming and
what needs to be done. Hopefully the crazy economic numbers that I have
included in this article will be shocking enough to wake some people up.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">The
end of the year is a time when people tend to gather with family and friends
more than they do during the rest of the year. Hopefully many of you will
use the list below as a tool to help start some conversations about the coming
economic collapse with your loved ones. Sadly, most Americans still tend
to doubt that we are heading into economic oblivion. So if you have
someone among your family and friends that believes that everything is going to
be "just fine", just show them these numbers. They are a good summary of
the problems that the U.S. economy is currently facing.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">The
following are 50 economic numbers from 2012 that are almost too crazy to
believe...</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#1</STRONG> In
December 2008, 31.6 million Americans were on food stamps. Today, a new
all-time record of <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="47.7 million Americans"
href="http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/34snapmonthly.htm" target=_blank>47.7 million
Americans</A> are on food stamps. That number has increased by more
than 50 percent over the past four years, and yet the mainstream media still has
the gall to insist that "things are getting better".</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#2</STRONG> Back
in the 1970s, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="about one out of every 50 Americans"
href="http://dailycaller.com/2012/12/09/food-stamp-use-reaches-another-high-in-september-47-7-million-participants/"
target=_blank>about one out of every 50 Americans</A> was on food
stamps. Today, about one out of every 6.5 Americans is on food
stamps.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#3</STRONG> According <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="to one calculation"
href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/11/23/Exclusive-Food-Stamp-Recipients-Outnumber-Populations-Of-24-States-Combined"
target=_blank>to one calculation</A>, the number of Americans on food stamps now
exceeds the combined populations of "Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware,
District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana,
Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon,
Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming."</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#4</STRONG> According
to one recent survey, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="55 percent"
href="http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/18/news/economy/government-entitlement-aid/index.html?iid=HP_LN"
target=_blank>55 percent</A> of all Americans have received money from a
safety net program run by the federal government at some point in their
lives.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#5</STRONG> For
the first time ever, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="more than a million"
href="http://www.nlchp.org/view_release.cfm?PRID=148" target=_blank>more than a
million</A> public school students in the United States are homeless.
That number has risen by <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="57 percent"
href="http://www.nlchp.org/view_release.cfm?PRID=148" target=_blank>57
percent</A> since the 2006-2007 school year.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#6</STRONG> Median
household income in the U.S. has fallen for <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="four consecutive years"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/things-are-getting-worse-median-household-income-has-fallen-4-years-in-a-row"
target=_blank>four consecutive years</A>. Overall, it has declined by over
$4000 during that time span.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#7</STRONG> Families
that have a head of household under the age of 30 have a poverty rate <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="of 37 percent"
href="http://lrfuller.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/the-generation-that-never-stood-a-chance/"
target=_blank>of 37 percent</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#8</STRONG> The
percentage of working age Americans with a job has been under 59 percent <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="for 39 months in a row"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/unemployment-is-not-going-down-the-employment-rate-has-been-under-59-percent-for-39-months-in-a-row"
target=_blank>for 39 months in a row</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#9</STRONG> In
September 2009, during the depths of the last economic crisis, <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="58.7 percent"
href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/EMRATIO.txt" target=_blank>58.7
percent</A> of all working age Americans were employed. In November
2012, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="58.7 percent"
href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/EMRATIO.txt" target=_blank>58.7
percent</A> of all working age Americans were employed. It is more
then 3 years later, and we are in the exact same place.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#10</STRONG> When
you total up all working age Americans that do not have a job in America today,
it comes to <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="more than 100 million"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/there-are-100-million-working-age-americans-that-do-not-have-jobs"
target=_blank>more than 100 million</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#11</STRONG> According
to one recent survey, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="55 percent"
href="http://washingtonexaminer.com/55-percent-of-small-business-owners-would-not-start-company-today-blame-obama/article/2509069#.UGS10FG7lAy"
target=_blank>55 percent</A> of all small business owners in America "say
they would not start a business today given what they know now and in the
current environment."</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#12</STRONG> The
number of jobs at new small businesses continues to decline.
According <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="to economist Tim Kane"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/we-are-witnessing-the-death-of-small-business-in-america"
target=_blank>to economist Tim Kane</A>, the following is how the decline in the
number of startup jobs per 1000 Americans breaks down <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="by presidential administration"
href="http://www.hudson.org/files/publications/Kane--TheCollapseofStartupsinJobCreation0912web.pdf"
target=_blank>by presidential administration</A>...</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Bush
Sr.: 11.3</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Clinton:
11.2</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Bush
Jr.: 10.8</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Obama:
7.8</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#13</STRONG> The
U.S. share of global GDP has fallen from <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="31.8 percent"
href="http://acrossthestreetnet.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/the-cost-of-kidding-yourself/"
target=_blank>31.8 percent</A> in 2001 to <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="21.6 percent"
href="http://acrossthestreetnet.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/the-cost-of-kidding-yourself/"
target=_blank>21.6 percent</A> in 2011.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#14</STRONG> The
United States has fallen in the global economic competitiveness rankings
compiled by the World Economic Forum <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="for four years in a row"
href="http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/a-look-behind-the-u-s-decline-in-global-competitiveness/"
target=_blank>for four years in a row</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#15</STRONG> There
are four major U.S. banks that each have <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="more than 40 trillion dollars of exposure"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/the-coming-derivatives-panic-that-will-destroy-global-financial-markets"
target=_blank>more than 40 trillion dollars of exposure</A> to
derivatives.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#16</STRONG> In
2000, there were <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="more than 17 million"
href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/MANEMP.txt" target=_blank>more
than 17 million</A> Americans working in manufacturing, but now there
are <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="less than 12 million"
href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/MANEMP.txt" target=_blank>less
than 12 million</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#17</STRONG> According
to the Pew Research Center, 61 percent of all Americans were "middle income"
back in 1971. Today, only <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="51 percent"
href="http://money.cnn.com/2012/08/22/news/economy/middle-class-pew/index.html"
target=_blank>51 percent</A> of all Americans are.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#18</STRONG> The
Pew Research Center has also found that <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="85 percent"
href="http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-middle-class-20120822%2c0%2c4728951.story"
target=_blank>85 percent</A> of all middle class Americans say that it is
harder to maintain a middle class standard of living today than it was 10 years
ago.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#19</STRONG> 62
percent of all middle class Americans say that they have had to <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="reduce household spending"
href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/22/middle-class-suffers-worst-decade-in-modern-history-report-says/"
target=_blank>reduce household spending</A> over the past year.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#20</STRONG> Right
now, approximately <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="48 percent"
href="http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9461848-dismal-prospects-1-in-2-americans-are-now-poor-or-low-income"
target=_blank>48 percent</A> of all Americans are either considered to be
"low income" or are living in poverty.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#21</STRONG> Approximately <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="57 percent"
href="http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9461848-dismal-prospects-1-in-2-americans-are-now-poor-or-low-income"
target=_blank>57 percent</A> of all <STRONG>children</STRONG> in
the United States are living in homes that are either considered to be either
"low income" or impoverished.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#22</STRONG> According
to one survey, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="77 percent"
href="http://thetruthwins.com/archives/77-percent-of-all-americans-live-paycheck-to-paycheck-at-least-part-of-the-time"
target=_blank>77 percent</A> of all Americans are now living paycheck to
paycheck at least part of the time.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#23</STRONG> Back
in 1950, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="more than 80 percent"
href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/LNS12300001"
target=_blank>more than 80 percent</A> of all men in the United States had
jobs. Today, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="less than 65 percent"
href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/LNS12300001"
target=_blank>less than 65 percent</A> of all men in the United States have
jobs.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#24</STRONG> The
average amount of time that an unemployed worker stays out of work in the United
States is <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="40 weeks" href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/UEMPMEAN.txt"
target=_blank>40 weeks</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#25</STRONG> If
you can believe it, approximately one out of every four American workers
makes <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="10 dollars an hour or less"
href="http://www.andmagazine.com/content/phoenix/12635.html" target=_blank>10
dollars an hour or less</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#26</STRONG> According
to the U.S. Census Bureau, an all-time record <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="49 percent"
href="http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/09/18/the-data-behind-romneys-47-comments/"
target=_blank>49 percent</A> of all Americans live in a home where at least
one person receives financial assistance from the federal government. Back
in 1983, that number was less than 30 percent.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#27</STRONG> Right
now, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="more than 100 million Americans"
href="http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/more-than-100-million-americans-are-on-welfare"
target=_blank>more than 100 million Americans</A> are enrolled in at least
one welfare program run by the federal government. And that does not even
count Social Security or Medicare. Overall, there are almost<A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="almost 80"
href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/over-100-million-now-receiving-federal-welfare_649589.html"
target=_blank> 80</A> different "means-tested welfare programs" that the
federal government is currently running.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#28</STRONG> When
you account for all government transfer payments and all forms of government
employment, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="more than half of all Americans"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/more-than-half-of-all-americans-are-at-least-partially-dependent-on-the-government"
target=_blank>more than half of all Americans</A> are now at least
partially financially dependent on the government.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#29</STRONG> Barack
Obama has been president for less than four years, and during that time the
number of Americans "not in the labor force" has increased <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="by nearly 8.5 million"
href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/LNS15000000.txt"
target=_blank>by nearly 8.5 million</A>. Something seems really "off"
about that number, because during the <STRONG>entire
decade</STRONG> of the 1980s the number of Americans "not in the labor
force" only rose <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="by about 2.5 million"
href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/LNS15000000.txt"
target=_blank>by about 2.5 million</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#30</STRONG> Electricity
bills in the United States have risen faster than the overall rate of
inflation <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="for five years in a row"
href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/story/2011-12-13/electric-bills/51840042/1?loc=interstitialskip"
target=_blank>for five years in a row</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#31</STRONG> According
to <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="USA Today"
href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2012/09/27/rising-water-rates/1595651/"
target=_blank>USA Today</A>, many Americans have actually seen their water bills
triple over the past 12 years.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#32</STRONG> There
are now <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="20.2 million Americans"
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/13/housing-costs-half-of-income_n_1587865.html"
target=_blank>20.2 million Americans</A> that spend more than half of their
incomes on housing. That represents a 46 percent increase from 2001.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#33</STRONG> Right
now, approximately <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="25 million"
href="http://moneyland.time.com/2012/02/14/romance-real-estate-how-your-housing-situation-affects-your-love-life/#ixzz1n85dX0xm"
target=_blank>25 million</A> American adults are living with their
parents.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#34</STRONG> As
the economy has slowed down, so has the number of marriages. According to
a Pew Research Center analysis, only <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="51 percent"
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/married-couples-at-a-record-low/2011/12/13/gIQAnJyYsO_story.html"
target=_blank>51 percent</A> of all Americans that are at least 18 years
old are currently married. Back in 1960, <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="72 percent"
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/married-couples-at-a-record-low/2011/12/13/gIQAnJyYsO_story.html"
target=_blank>72 percent</A> of all U.S. adults were married.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#35</STRONG> At
this point, only <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="24.6 percent"
href="http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/only-24-6-percent-of-all-jobs-in-the-united-states-are-good-jobs"
target=_blank>24.6 percent</A> of all jobs in the United States are good
jobs.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#36</STRONG> In
1999, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="64.1 percent"
href="http://www.businessinsider.com/poverty-in-america-2012-9#people-by-type-of-health-insurance-coverage-1999-to-2011-11"
target=_blank>64.1 percent</A> of all Americans were covered by
employment-based health insurance. Today, only <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="55.1 percent"
href="http://www.businessinsider.com/poverty-in-america-2012-9#people-by-type-of-health-insurance-coverage-1999-to-2011-11"
target=_blank>55.1 percent</A> are covered by employment-based health
insurance.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#37</STRONG> Recently
it was announced that total student loan debt in the United States has
passed <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="the one trillion dollar mark"
href="http://www.consumerfinance.gov/blog/too-big-to-fail-student-debt-hits-a-trillion/"
target=_blank>the one trillion dollar mark</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#38</STRONG> If
you can believe it, one out of every seven Americans <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="has at least 10 credit cards"
href="http://www.mybudget360.com/endgame-credit-card-nation-40-year-credit-card-bull-market-over/"
target=_blank>has at least 10 credit cards</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#39</STRONG> One
survey of business executives has ranked <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title=California
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/55-reasons-why-california-is-the-worst-state-in-america"
target=_blank>California</A> as the worst state in America to do
business <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="for 8 years in a row"
href="http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/02/business/la-fi-mo-california-worst-state-20120502"
target=_blank>for 8 years in a row</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#40</STRONG> In
the city of <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title=Detroit
href="http://thetruthwins.com/archives/detroit-one-of-our-greatest-cities-has-become-a-desolate-wasteland-where-the-lawless-reign"
target=_blank>Detroit</A> today, <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title=53.6%
href="http://www.nccp.org/media/releases/release_136.html" target=_blank>more
than 50 percent</A> of all children are living in poverty, and <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="47 percent"
href="http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/05/04/report-nearly-half-of-detroiters-cant-read/"
target=_blank>close to 50 percent</A> of all adults are functionally
illiterate.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#41</STRONG> It
is being projected that <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="half of all American children"
href="http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=382364"
target=_blank>half of all American children</A> will be on food stamps at
least once before they turn 18 years of age.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#42</STRONG> More
than three times as many new homes were sold in the United States <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="in 2005"
href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/HSN1FNSA" target=_blank>in
2005</A> as will be sold in 2012.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#43</STRONG> If
you can believe it, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="53 percent"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/53-percent-of-all-young-college-graduates-in-america-are-either-unemployed-or-underemployed"
target=_blank>53 percent</A> of all Americans with a bachelor's degree
under the age of 25 were either unemployed or underemployed last year.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#44</STRONG> The
U.S. economy continues to trade <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="good paying jobs"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/from-good-jobs-to-bad-jobs-to-no-jobs-the-tragic-downfall-of-the-american-worker"
target=_blank>good paying jobs</A> for low paying jobs. <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="60 percent"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/economic-failure-58-percent-of-the-jobs-being-created-are-low-paying-jobs"
target=_blank>60 percent</A> of the jobs lost during the last recession
were mid-wage jobs, but <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="58 percent"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/economic-failure-58-percent-of-the-jobs-being-created-are-low-paying-jobs"
target=_blank>58 percent</A> of the jobs created since then have been low
wage jobs.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#45</STRONG> Our
trade deficit with China in 2011 was <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="$295.5 billion"
href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/story/2012-05-10/march-trade-deficit/54871710/1"
target=_blank>$295.5 billion</A>. That was the largest trade deficit that
one country has had with another country in the history of the planet.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#46</STRONG> The
United States has lost an average of approximately <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="50,000 manufacturing jobs"
href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/beltway/2011/02/14/intelligence-community-fears-u-s-manufacturing-decline/"
target=_blank>50,000 manufacturing jobs</A> a month since China joined the
World Trade Organization in 2001.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#47</STRONG> According
to the Economic Policy Institute, America is losing <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="half a million jobs"
href="http://economyincrisis.org/content/trade-deficit-china-could-cost-half-million-jobs"
target=_blank>half a million jobs</A> to China every single year.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#48</STRONG> The
U.S. tax code is now more than <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="3.8 million"
href="http://www.taxfoundation.org/press/show/28121.html" target=_blank>3.8
million</A> words long. If you took all of William Shakespeare's
works and collected them together, the entire collection would only be about
900,000 words long.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#49</STRONG> According
to the IMF, the global elite are holding a total of <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="18 trillion dollars"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/the-global-elite-are-hiding-18-trillion-dollars-in-offshore-banks"
target=_blank>18 trillion dollars</A> in offshore banking havens such as
the Cayman Islands.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#50</STRONG> The
value of the U.S. dollar has declined <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="by more than 96 percent"
href="http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/is-the-federal-reserve-doing-a-good-job"
target=_blank>by more than 96 percent</A> since the Federal Reserve was
first created.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#51</STRONG> 2012
was the <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="third year in a row"
href="http://buzz.money.cnn.com/2012/08/09/corn-prices-record/?hpt=hp_t3"
target=_blank>third year in a row</A> that the yield for corn has declined
in the United States.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#52</STRONG> Experts
are telling us that global food reserves have reached their lowest level <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="in almost 40 years"
href="http://thetruthwins.com/archives/global-food-reserves-have-reached-their-lowest-level-in-almost-40-years"
target=_blank>in almost 40 years</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#53</STRONG> One
recent survey discovered that <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="40 percent"
href="http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/10/19/survey-40-percent-of-americans-have-500-or-less-in-savings/"
target=_blank>40 percent</A> of all Americans have $500 or less in
savings.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#54</STRONG> If
you can believe it, one recent survey found that <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="28 percent"
href="http://money.cnn.com/2012/06/25/pf/emergency-savings/index.htm?iid=HP_LN"
target=_blank>28 percent</A> of all Americans do not have a single penny
saved for emergencies.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#55</STRONG> Medical
costs related to obesity in the United States are estimated to be
approximately <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="$147 billion"
href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-05-07/obesity-projections-adults/54791430/1"
target=_blank>$147 billion</A> a year.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#56</STRONG> Corporate
profits as a percentage of GDP are at an <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="all-time high"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/we-are-witnessing-the-death-of-small-business-in-america"
target=_blank>all-time high</A>. Meanwhile, wages as a percentage of GDP
are near an <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="all-time low"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/we-are-witnessing-the-death-of-small-business-in-america"
target=_blank>all-time low</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#57</STRONG> Today,
the wealthiest 1 percent of all Americans own more wealth than the bottom 95
percent <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title=combined
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chuck-collins/the-99-percent-spring-and_b_1395812.html"
target=_blank>combined</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#58</STRONG><SPAN> The </SPAN><A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="wealthiest 400 families"
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/13/american-middle-class-poverty"
target=_blank>wealthiest 400 families</A><SPAN> in the United States have
about as much wealth as the bottom 50 percent of all Americans
combined.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#59</STRONG> The
six heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton have a net worth that is roughly equal
to the <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="bottom 30 percent"
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/wal-mart-heirs-have-same-net-worth-as-the-bottom-30-percent-of-americans/2011/12/09/gIQAkg6FiO_blog.html"
target=_blank>bottom 30 percent</A> of all Americans combined.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#60</STRONG> At
this point, the poorest 50 percent of all Americans collectively own <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="just 2.5%"
href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-about-inequality-in-america-2011-11#half-of-america-owns-25-of-countrys-wealth-the-top-1-owns-a-third-of-it-2"
target=_blank>just 2.5%</A> of all the wealth in the United States.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#61</STRONG> Nearly
500,000 federal employees now make <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="at least $100,000 a year"
href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/08/20/Federal-workers-earn-twice-as-much-as-private-workers"
target=_blank>at least $100,000 a year</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#62</STRONG> In
2006, only <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="12 percent"
href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2011-12-26/federal-starting-salaries/52236360/1"
target=_blank>12 percent</A> of all federal workers made $100,000 or more
per year. Now, approximately <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="22 percent"
href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2011-12-26/federal-starting-salaries/52236360/1"
target=_blank>22 percent</A> of all federal workers do.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#63</STRONG> If
you can believe it, there are <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="77,000 federal workers"
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/report-77000-feds-earn-more-than-governors/2011/03/23/AGLmuUGH_blog.html"
target=_blank>77,000 federal workers</A> that make more than the governors
of their own states do.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#64</STRONG> <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="Nearly 15,000"
href="http://www.allgov.com/news/top-stories/thousands-of-federal-retirees-receive-100000-a-year-pensionsincluding-newt-gingrich?news=843922"
target=_blank>Nearly 15,000</A> retired federal workers are collecting
federal pensions for life worth at least $100,000 annually. The list
includes such names as Newt Gingrich, Bob Dole, Trent Lott, Dick Gephardt and
Dick Cheney.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#65</STRONG> U.S.
taxpayers spend <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="more than 20 times as much"
href="http://thetruthwins.com/archives/us-taxpayers-spent-1-4-billion-on-the-obamas-in-2012-british-taxpayers-only-spent-57-8-million-on-the-entire-royal-family"
target=_blank>more than 20 times as much</A> on the Obamas as British
taxpayers spend on the royal family.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#66</STRONG> Family
homelessness in the Washington D.C. region (one of the wealthiest regions in the
entire country) <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="has risen 23 percent"
href="http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2012/10/14/family-homelessness-is-on-the-rise/"
target=_blank>has risen 23 percent</A> since the last recession
began.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#67</STRONG> If
Bill Gates gave every single penny of his fortune to the U.S. government, it
would only cover the U.S. budget deficit <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="for 15 days"
href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1390090/One-giant-debt-mankind-U-S-national-deficit-reach-moon-piled-high-5-bills.html"
target=_blank>for about 15 days</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#68</STRONG> During
fiscal year 2012, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="62 percent"
href="http://www.heritage.org/federalbudget/budget-entitlement-programs"
target=_blank>62 percent</A> of the federal budget was spent on
entitlements.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#69</STRONG> Back
in 1965, only one out of every 50 Americans was on Medicaid.
Today, <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="one out of every 6"
href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mary-meeker-usa-inc-february-24-2011-2"
target=_blank>approximately one out of every 6</A> Americans is on
Medicaid.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#70</STRONG> It
is being projected that Obamacare will add <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="16 million more Americans"
href="http://news.investors.com/Article.aspx?id=598993&ibdbot=1&p=2"
target=_blank>16 million more Americans</A> to the Medicaid rolls.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#71</STRONG> Medicare
is also growing by leaps and bounds. As I wrote about <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="the other day"
href="http://thetruthwins.com/archives/11-signs-that-the-u-s-health-care-system-is-heading-straight-down-the-toilet"
target=_blank>recently</A>, it is being projected that the number of Americans
on Medicare will grow from 50.7 million in 2012 to <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="73.2 million"
href="http://theweek.com/article/index/231267/is-america-running-out-of-doctors"
target=_blank>73.2 million</A> in 2025.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#72</STRONG> Thanks
to our foolish politicians (including Obama), Medicare is facing unfunded
liabilities of more than 38 trillion dollars over the next 75 years. That
comes to approximately <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title=$328,404
href="http://cnsnews.com/news/article/medicare-faces-unfunded-liability-386t-or-328404-each-us-household"
target=_blank>$328,404</A> for each and every household in the United
States.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#73</STRONG> Amazingly,
the U.S. national debt is now up to <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold" title="15 trillion dollars"
href="http://www.savingsbonds.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np" target=_blank>16.3
trillion dollars</A>. When Barack Obama first took office the national
debt was just 10.6 trillion dollars.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#74</STRONG> During
the first four years of the Obama administration, the U.S. government
accumulated about as much debt as it did from the time that George Washington
took office <A style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="to the time that George W. Bush took office"
href="http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo5.htm"
target=_blank>to the time that George W. Bush took office</A>.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><STRONG>#75</STRONG> Today,
the U.S. national debt is <A
style="COLOR: rgb(79,128,158); FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
title="more than 5000 times larger"
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/10-things-that-every-american-should-know-about-the-federal-reserve"
target=_blank>more than 5000 times larger</A> than it was when the Federal
Reserve was originally created back in 1913.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Please
share this article with as many people as you can. Time is running out,
and we need to wake up as many people as possible.</DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"></DIV>
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<A
href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/75-economic-numbers-from-2012-that-are-almost-too-crazy-to-believe/75-economic-numbers-from-2012-that-are-almost-too-crazy-to-believe"
target=_blank>http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/75-economic-numbers-from-2012-that-are-almost-too-crazy-to-believe/75-economic-numbers-from-2012-that-are-almost-too-crazy-to-believe</A>
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