NATIONAL SPENDING AND DEBT

• By 2009 the debt is estimated to top $10 Trillion Dollars (doubled in 8 years) — approx. 1.4 million a day. "Publicly held" debt accounts for $5.1 trillion of the total, with the remaining $4 trillion being owed to Social Security and other government accounts. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-12-03-debt_N.htm

• According to the U.S. Treasury, foreign governments and investors now hold some $2.23 Trillion - or about 44% of all publicly held U.S. Debt (2007), the first being Japan ($586 billion), then China ($400 billion), and then Britain ($244 billion). Saudi Arabia and other oil-exporting countries account for $123 billion. U.S. Treasury. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-12-03-debt_N.htm

• The United States’ Current Account deficit is now [late 2006?] approx. $60 million AN HOUR In 2002 it increased 28% to half a trillion dollars, an amount roughly equivalent to 5% of US GDP. RICHARD DUNCAN http://www.business-in-asia.com/dollar_crisis.html

• As of 1994, the Federal Reserve estimated that of the approximately $365 billion of American currency in circulation, 60 percent was held somewhere outside the country. L. Reichard White http://www.usagold.com/gildedopinion/bigfloat.html

• Based on an estimated US population of 296,518,520, then each citizen's share of this debt is approx. $26,000. http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

• In 1954 [during the beginning of the “cold war”] defense spending was 70 percent of federal spending while "human resources" was 19 percent. In 2003, defense was 19 percent with human resources accounting for 66 percent. The Next Economy By Robert J. Samuelson Wednesday, December 29, 2004; Page A19. © 2004 The Washington Post Company. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32610-2004Dec28.html

• Apart from total cost of defense, Health and Human Services (approx. 700B) makes up the single largest part of the 2006 budget. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2006/index.html [while both areas are a priority, and the most important thing is souls and lives – not money, disdaining the Word of God and supplanting it with the perverse morality and social engineering of Secular Humanism (or with other false religions) has cost America and the world incredibly in monetary realms. Most wars are begun as a result of man's lust for power and which would not be if men yielded to Christ, and obedience to Biblical morals would also eliminate such things as STD's as well as the results of other “hurtful lusts” (1Tim., 6:9), which costs souls now and will do so in the hereafter. Only when one volitionally receives the Lord Jesus and His salvation will one find the spiritual life that alone can truly change the heart, and enable one to follow Christ, and know true spiritual peace. And which salvation and sanctification works to the benefit of a country, in temporal terms as well as spiritual. ”Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD” (Ps. 144:15).]

• Medicaid is now the largest government health care program, costing federal and state governments $259 billion in FY 2002--surpassing the cost of Medicare, which was $257 billion, for the first time ever. Honorable Thomas A. Scully before the Subcommittee on Health http://www.heritage.org/research/features/issues2004/medicaid.cfm#FF

• In 48 states, the cost of center-based child care for a four-year-old is greater than tuition at a four-year public college.http://www.childrensdefense.org/pressreleases/040713.asp

CONSUMER HEALTH CARE

• Health care spending is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense. California Health Care Foundation. Health Care Costs 101 -- 2005. 02 March 2005. http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml

• America spent about $1.7 trillion (15.3 percent of its Gross Domestic Product) on health care in 2003, as it continued to rise at the fastest rate in US history. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group; and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of the Census. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/statistics/nhe/projections-2003/t2.asp.

• More than 50 percent of Americans spend over $75 billion on dietary supplements and natural health approaches. Lyle Hurd, http://americanwellnessnetwork.com/American_Wellness_Network.html

• Americans drank about 10 times as much as bottled water per person in 2004 (23 gallons) than in 1980. They also consumed more than twice as much high fructose corn syrup per person as in 1980. Richard Clement/Reuters; http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/miscellaneous/007871.html

SEXUAL SINS

• Every incident of child sexual abuse costs the victim and society $99,000. Miller, Cohen & Wiersema, 1996. http://www.yellodyno.com/html/childabusestatistics.html

• Teen pregnancy costs the United States at least $7 billion annually. National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. (1997). Whatever Happened to Childhood? The Problem of Teen Pregnancy in the United States. Washington, DC: Author. http://www.theodora.com/teddy/newyork/teenage.html

• Overall monetary cost to tax payers for teen mothers: $120 billion+. Based on the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979-1985) in Congressional Budget Office. (1990, September). Sources of Support for Adolescent Mothers. Washington, DC

• With 19 million sexually transmitted diseases in the United States — almost half occur among the 14-to-25 age group — the cost to the healthcare system is $15 billion a year. Dr. Kevin Fenton of the CDC.

• The overall cost treating AIDS in the United States was $16 billion in 2002. http://www.redribbon.com/what-is-hiv-aids.htm

• Treatment cost (in money) of a patient with AIDS from diagnosis until death in western countries was $130,000 in 2003 and continues to escalate. http://www.redribbon.com/what-is-hiv-aids.htm

• Excluding HIV, more than $8 billion is spent each year to diagnose and treat STDs and their complications. Institute of Medicine. (1997). The hidden epidemic–Confronting sexually transmitted disease (edited by Thomas R. Eng and William T. Butler). Washington, DC: National Academy. Press. http://www.ashastd.org/stdfaqs/statistics.html

•  In 2002, the federal and state Governments Spent $12 on Safe Sex and Contraceptives for Every $1 Spent on Abstinence. Melissa G. Pardue, Robert E. Rector, and Shannan Martin Backgrounder #1718

• The porn industry rakes in an estimated $10 billion to $14 billion annually in the United States. The $4 billion that Americans spend on video pornography alone is more than the annual revenue of the NFL, the NBA or Major League Baseball. Dillon Fishman Arizona Daily Wildcat http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/98/133/03_1.html

• It is estimated that Americans now spend somewhere around $10 billion a year on adult entertainment, which is as much as they spend attending professional sporting events, buying music or going out to the movies. It is estimated that Americans now spend somewhere around $10 billion a year on adult entertainment, which is as much as they spend attending professional sporting events, buying music or going out to the movies. CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/21/60minutes/main585049.shtml

• Americans spent as much on drugs in 2004 as they did for gasoline. Industry consultants estimated $250 billion in sales (the majority for prescription drugs), which translates into an $850 pharmaceutical fill-up for every American. Jeff Donn ASSOCIATED PRESS, April 16, 2005. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/health/20050416-0936-americathemedicated.html

• Between 2/2001 to 7/2001 there was an increase of 345% in child pornography sites (N2H2, 8/01) http://www.spcc-storrs.org/blog/archives/general/

CRIME, DRUGS and ALCOHOL

• The cost of running the U.S. prison system is now more than $57 billion per year [violent offenders costing 50 percent more than others]. Alan Elsner, Gates of Injustice.

• On average, it costs $20,000 per year to maintain one prisoner. Department of Justice Report: Two-Thirds of Non-Violent Offenders Serving Mandatory Minimum Sentences, The Drug Policy Letter, Spring 1994, at 28. http://www.sumeria.net/politics/footnotes1.html#33

• On average, it costs $100,000 to build a single prison cell, and $20,000 per year to staff a prison cell. Todd R. Clear, Tougher is Dumber, N.Y. Times, Dec. 12, 1993, Sec. 1, at 21. http://www.sumeria.net/politics/footnotes1.html#33

• The District of Columbia led the nation in 2002 (last stats i have) in per capita Government Expenditures (State and Local Government) against crime (total justice system): 2,162. http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/07statab/law.pdf

• In 2003 the United States spent a record $185 billion for police protection, corrections, and judicial and legal activities. Expenditures for operating the Nation's justice system increased from almost $36 billion in 1982 to over $185 billion in 2003, an increase of 418%. 14.5 Bureau of Justice Statistics, http://www.wrongfuldeathinstitute.com/links/prison/prisonstats.htm

• The United States invests $70 billion on decreasing interpersonal violence or and self-inflicted violence. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• http://www.infoniac.com/science/violencecosts.html

• From 1977 to 2003 total State and local expenditure for all justice functions increased 567%: Police protection – 545%; Corrections – 1,173%' Judicial and legal – 1,974%. ^{14.5^}

• Other government functions increased during the same period:

• Education – 505%; Hospitals and health care – 572%; Interest on debt – 577% Public welfare – 766%. (Justice Expenditure and Employment Extracts, compiled from the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Government Finance Survey and Annual Survey of Public Employment). ^{14.5^}

• Between 1982 and 2003, per capita expenditure, including Federal, State, and local governments across justice functions, increased from $158 to $638, over 300%.

• During the same time period:

• Corrections expenditures increased 423%, from $40 to $209 per resident.

• Judicial and legal expenditures increased 321%, from $34 to $143.

• Police protection expenditures increased 241%, from $84 to $286 per resident. Since 1982 total direct expenditures increased 418%, from nearly $36 billion to over $185 billion. The average annual increase between 1982 and 2003 was nearly 8%. ^{14.5^}

• A new prison cell costs $100,000 to build and $200,000 over 25 years to pay interest on the construction debt; and in excess of $22,000 per year/per cell to operate. ^{14.5^}

• The New York City Police Department has a $3.3 billion annual budget, larger than all but 19 of the world's armies. jeftrajus http://www.handymanclub.com/Community/Forums.aspx?g=posts&t=5587&page=27

• Insurance-related crime among gamblers is estimated at over $1.3 billion a year! http://www.ncalg.org/library/working%20on%20these/factsheet.htm

• The average American worker admits to misusing 2.09 hours per 8-hour workday (not including lunch and scheduled break-time) of their employers time (personal Internet use making up 44.7% of the stolen time), costing employers an estimated $759 billion per year. 33.2% of respondents blamed lack of work as their primary reason for doing so, while 23.4% said they were underpaid. Survey by America Online and Salary.com http://www.salary.com/careers/layoutscripts/crel_display.asp?tab=cre&cat=nocat&ser=Ser374&part=Par555

• "Americans spend over $90 billion dollars on alcohol each year." Source: UsNoDrugs.comhttp://www.usnodrugs.com/alcohol-statistics.htm

• Economic costs to society for Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the United States are estimated at $185 billion annually for 1998. National Institute on Drug Abuse and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the United States, 1995. http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/alcohol/factsheet.htm 1998.

• Economic costs of alcohol-related crashes are estimated to be $45 billion yearly. Los Angeles Police Dept. http://www.lapdonline.org/bldg_safer_comms/prevention/other/drunk_driving_98.htm

• An additional $70.5 billion is lost in quality of life due to these crashes. Los Angelus Police Dept. http://www.lapdonline.org/bldg_safer_comms/prevention/other/drunk_driving_98.htm

• Federal, state, and local alcohol taxes combined raise approximately $13.1 billion dollars a year, but alcohol use extracts over $ 100 billion a year in social costs such as lost productivity and health costs. Morton M. Kondracke, "Don't Legalize Drugs," The New Republic, June 27, 1988; Robert E. Peterson, "'Stop Legalization of Illegal Drugs," Drug Awareness Information Newsletter, July 1988]. Schaffer Library of drug policy. http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/debate/myths/myths5.htm

• In 1995, $60.3 billion, or nearly one in five dollars the federal government spends on all health care entitlements, will be spent to treat illness and conditions attributable to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs." Columbia's Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse

• It is estimated that legalizations of recreational drugs would cost American society between $140 billion and $210 billion a year in lost productivity and job-related accidents. Morton M. Kondracke, citation above;. http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/debate/myths/myths5.htm

• Excessive drinking costs Americans over $175 billion each year: The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html

• Businesses lose an estimated $100 billion a year due to substance abuse. U.S. Department of Labor. http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html

• Teen-aged drinking costs Americans an estimated $58 billion annually. Office of Juvenile Justice and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. 1999 Great Falls Tribune http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html

• Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among America's youth, costing an average of $577.91 per year for every household in the United States. Karolyn Nunnallee, national president of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD). www.madd.org/stats 1999 Great Falls Tribune http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html

• College students spend over $5.5 billion a year on alcoholic beverages (mostly beer)--more than they spend on all other drinks [soda, tea, milk, juice and coffee] and books combined. Sidney Ribeau, PresidentBowling Green State University http://www.collegevalues.org/diaries.cfm?id=476&a=1. See also www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/rpt1998/CAS1998rpt2.html.

• Medical expenses attributable to alcohol abuse are an estimated $22.6 billion this year. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html

• Almost 1 in 5 dollars (60.3 billion) of the total US federal government health care spending entitlements, will be spent in 1995 to treat afflictions and conditions attributable to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. Columbia's Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. 1999 Great Falls Tribune http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html

• Americans spent as much on drugs last year [2004] as they did for gasoline. The $250 billion in sales estimated by industry consultants means an $850 pharmaceutical fill-up for every American. The vast majority was for prescription drugs." Jeff Donn Associated Press, April 16, 2005. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/health/20050416-0936-americathemedicated.html

• Americans spent a total of $151 billion on outpatient prescriptions in 2002. Time magazine, July 13, 2005. http://time.blogs.com/daily_rx/2005/07/what_americans_.html

• Over 100,000 people die every year from taking prescription drugs. Lyle Hurd, http://americanwellnessnetwork.com/American_Wellness_Network.html

• Americans spend slightly less than $70 billion annually to buy illegal drugs. December 2000; Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), by Abt Associates Inc., of Cambridge, Mass. http://www.smythnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SCN%2FMGArticle%2FSCN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031780461826

• 70 percent of America's public child welfare system spending is for substance abuse-related sins. Columbia University's National Center on Addition and Substance Abuse. 1999 Great Falls Tribune http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html

• An estimated 80% of prison inmates are alcoholics or drug abusers. Columbia's Center on Addiction and Substance Abuset . 1999 Great Falls Tribune http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html

• Alcohol-related car wrecks cost the US an estimated $45 billion a year, or $1.90 per ounce of alcohol consumed. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers www.madd.org/stats

• 30 to 50% of hospital admissions are alcohol-related. Dr. Dan Nauts, medical director of the Addiction Medicine Center at Benefis Healthcare. http://www.gannett.com/go/difference/greatfalls/pages/part11/mess.html

PERSONAL + HOUSEHOLD INCOME, SPENDING AND DEBT

• United States, Per Capita Income in year 200 dollars: 1990 = 24, 198; 2005 = 34,07.US Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/07statab/income.pdf

• Disposable Personal Income Per Capita in 1990 = 30,509; 2005 = 30,509. US Census Bureau

• Median household income (2006) 46,000. US Census Bureau. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_household_income

• In the year 2000 households with income of at least $100,000 were the fastest-growing income division in the U.S. In inflation-adjusted figures (to 1999 dollars), one out of eight American households were in this group last year (12 in 1990). U.S. Census Bureau; http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/2000/12/01/292749/index.htm

• There were 3.5 million U.S. millionaires in 2001, more than a half million of them (572,000) in California and about 3,000 in Vermont. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007, (Table 700) http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/miscellaneous/007871.html

• Nearly 80 percent of children in long-term poverty live in some type of broken family or with a never-married parent. ¹⁵National Center for Policy Analysis; http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba428/

• On average, a child raised by a never-married mother is 9 times more likely to live in poverty than a child raised by two parents in an intact marriage. ^{^15}

• Only 9.6 percent of high school graduates are poor, compared to 22.2 percent of those without a diploma. ^{^15}

• Of those people who complete some college, only 6.6 percent fall below the poverty line. This drops to 3.3 percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher. ^{^15}

• Of the 35 million living in American poverty, 46% live in their own homes, 76% have air conditioning, 97% own a color TV, 78% a DVD or VCR, 65% their own washing machine, 73% their own car, 30% own more than one car. U.S. Census Bureau; Executive Summary #1713: Understanding Poverty in America by Robert E. Rector and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D. http://www.heritage.org/Research/Welfare/BG1713es.cfm. [This is not to slight those who have much less, nor does it reveal the whole story, but it shows a disparity between those who, like myself, fit into the category of financial poverty in America, and that of poverty in other areas of the world.]

• More than half (50.3 percent) of U.S. households — nearly 57 million — owned stocks and mutual funds in 2005, representing 91 million individual investors. Equity owners had a median age of 51, a median household income of $65,000 and $125,000 in median household financial assets. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007, (Tables 1194, 1195). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/miscellaneous/007871.html

• The average American household has 13 payment cards, including credit cards, debit cards and store cards. Family Life Facts, http://www.flc.org/hfl/flf01.htm

• Over 40% of U.S. families spend more than they earn. Federal Reserve.

• Together Americans owe $1.713 trillion, nearly three times the value of the nation’s circulating currency. Harper’s Magazine, November 2002. http://www.employmentproject.com/nmj/nmj0211.htm

• The percentage of household debt in relation to household assets (what you owe versus what you're worth) has also never been so high. The Federal Reserve,

• 80% of Americans owe more than they own. ©2004 by Rod Rogers, http://www.leaderskillsinc.com/resource_articles/stew_doc_news.htm

• Consumer borrowing has risen almost 50 percent in the past five years to a record $6.3 billion. U.S. News & World Report, February 14, 2001; http://www.bibleuniverse.com/finance/finance.asp

• Household debt -- everything from home mortgages to credit cards -- now totals about $10 trillion, or roughly 115 percent of personal disposable income. In 1945, debt was about 20 percent of disposable income. The Next Economy By Robert J. Samuelson Wednesday, December 29, 2004; Page A19. © 2004 The Washington Post Company. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32610-2004Dec28.html

• 50% of all income goes to pay consumer and mortgage debt. Rod Rogers, http://www.leaderskillsinc.com/resource_articles/stew_doc_news.htm

• There were 278 million debit cards in U.S. hands in 2004, with 22.2 billion transactions amounting to more than $1 trillion. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007, (Table 1168). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/miscellaneous/007871.html

• 45% of people are dependent on relatives. Rod Rogers, http://www.leaderskillsinc.com/resource_articles/stew_doc_news.htm

• The average American Credit card debt is $8,562 (2002). [Does not include other forms of debt.] http://www.fool.com/ccc/secrets/secrets.htm (orig. http://www.cardweb.com ?)

• Total finance charges Americans paid in 2001: $50 billion. http://www.fool.com/ccc/secrets/secrets.htm

• 75% of credit card companies revenues come from finance charges. http://loan.yahoo.com/c/cards6.html

• 55% of households owed nothing on credit cards (2002). Liz Pulliam Weston http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Banking/creditcardsmarts/P74808.asp

• 29% of households owe $1,000 or more on their cards. 1% owe $21,400 or more. Bill Whitt at the VIP Forum, a Washington D.C. research firm. Reported by Liz Pulliam Weston, http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Banking/creditcardsmarts/P74808.asp

• Average American undergraduate student credit card debt rose from $1,879 to $2,748 in two years (2000). Nellie Mae Student Loan Applications. http://www.debtsmart.com/cgi-pl/redir.cgi?statistic_37&http://www.nfcc.org

• The average American college undergrad has $1,843 in credit card debt (2001). Nellie Mae, a student loan provider. http://www.debtsmart.com/cgi-pl/redir.cgi?statistic_55&http://Bankrate.com

• More than half of families with credit cards (56 percent) “almost always” pay off the balance, 20 percent “sometimes” pay off the balance and another 24 percent “hardly ever” pay off the balance. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007, (Table 1170). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/miscellaneous/007871.html

• Bankruptcies set another record in 2003, with 1.6 million personal filings. American Bankruptcy Institute. http://www.abiworld.org/stats/newstatsfront.html

TAXES

• Every baby born today “owes” the United States federal government approximately $70,000. Statistics Concerning the State of America http://freedomministries.com/outlinestats.html

• Cost of a hospital delivery is approximately $10,000. PPFA 2002

• Cost to raise a child until age 18 is approximately $177,250 to $350,210. Parents 2000

• The tax revenues that would have been from the 26.9 million children that have been legally aborted in America by 1991 is an estimated $135 billion. The Cost of Abortion, Lawrence F. Roberge http://www.pregnantpause.org/abort/gap.htm

• 37 million Americans were living under the poverty line last year [2005]- about 12.6 percent of the population. US Census Bureau; www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/article_10007085.shtml

• Immigrants who become U.S. citizens typically pay more in taxes they receive in benefits such as education and public assistance ($70.3 billion as compared with $42.9 billion) - though initially using more state and local services - than do native-born Americans. http://www.immigrationforum.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=277 and www.ericdigests.org/

• Undocumented immigrants constitute about 1% of the total U.S. population and 13% of the foreign-born population. http://www.ericdigests.org/

CULINARY INDULGENCE

• Americans spend close to $117 billion on obesity related health care, with another $33 billion spent annually in attempts to control or lose weight. Mazur F. Health cost control: prevention. Legislative Update. http://user.adelphia.net/frankmazur/prevention_10_3.htm; Accessed August 26, 2004. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3977/is_200410/ai_n9461223

• Nearly half the costs of obesity are paid out of tax-supported health insurance. Magee M. The cost of obesity in America. Health Politics. Available at http://www.health-politics.com/programjnfo.asp?p=prog_474; accessed July 14, 2004. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3977/is_200410/ai_n9461223

• Total amount spent annually on potato chips: $4.5 billion. Cato book for Congress. http://www.cato.org/pubs/handbook/hb105-18.html

• Americans spent approx. 167 million in caviar in 2004. Fred Conte, Univeristy of California at Davis.

• Americans spend around $3 billion for cat and dog food a year http://engr.smu.edu/~rada/UselessFacts.html

• America Throw away approx. 27% of it's food every year. http://www.metro-region.org/article.cfm?articleid=860

VEHICLES

• One billion dollars worth of stolen cars are taken out of the United States annually. White House International Crime Control Strategy - June 1998 http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/iccs/iccsii.html

• Maine, Vermont, Idaho, and Wisconsin were the 5 least expensive states for auto insurance in 2005, while New York state, Louisiana, Rhode Island Maryland and Washington DC made up the 5 highest. http://www.insurance.com/Article.aspx/MostLeast_Expensive_States_for_Auto_Insurance_in_2005/artid/343 ;http://www.insurance.com/Article.aspx/The_Most_Expensive_States_for_Auto_Insurance/artid/147

• Car ownership costs of selected cities around the country are as follows: Detroit - $12,210, Philadelphia - $11,081, Los Angeles - $10,604, Hartford, CT - $9,972, West Palm Beach - $9,170, Buffalo - $8,813, Grand Forks, ND - $7,726, Bismarck, ND - $7,705, Sioux Falls, SD - $7,629, Runzheimer International, a consulting firm; http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/01/autos/costliest_car_ownership_cities/index.htm?cnn=yes

MISCL.

• At General Motors, the cost of health care for employees now exceeds the cost of steel.

• Health premiums were up 13.9 percent in 2003 over 2002. In 2004, health benefits cost a single employee an average of $3,383, and a family of four $9,068. The Bureau of Labor Statistics

• “Each automobile manufactured in the U.S. today contains $700 worth of steel and around $1,700 worth of health care costs.” Mike Milken at HRO World Conference 2004.

• Health care cost General Motors $5.3 billion in 2005—31 percent of which was for prescription drugs. Corbett B., Ward's Auto World 2003 Jul 1; http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/SUM07/health-care-reform.html

• In 48 states, the cost of center-based child care for a four-year-old is greater than tuition at a four-year public college. http://www.childrensdefense.org/pressreleases/040713.asp

• This nations approx. 1 million (annually) high school dropouts are estimated to cost the economy 260 billion over the course of the students lives. U.S. News + World Report, 4-24-06 [Bible church “dropouts” cost more, while the social engineering “values” most schools teach cost both the students and this nation more than money.]

• In the United States, 32% of peoples income is spent on housing (including ultitlies, furnishings, services, repairs, etc.) Center for Business and Economic Research; http://cber.cba.ua.edu/rbriefs/ab_jul97.html

• American citizens donated $260 billion to charities of all kinds in 2005, the latest year for which figures are available. The Giving USA Foundation.

• The amount budgeted by the US government for non-military foreign aid in 2006 ( $17.29 billion) to the entire world was less than American citizens spend celebrating Mother's Day and Father's And the amount spent on winter holidays is greater than all charitable giving combined. National Retail Federation http://www.godweb.org/holidayspending.htm

• The average consumer will spend $30 on Christmas cards and postage this year. National Retail Federation.

• Americans are expected to spend $8 billion on Christmas decorations. Unity Marketing, 2005 http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18650

• Eight in 10 dog owners buy their pet holiday gifts. Six in 10 cat owners do. 2005, American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

• Americans spent approx $457 Billion / $800 per person on Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. A typical American child receives 70 new toys a year, most of them at Christmas, and .

• $14 Billion / $116 per person Valentine's Day

• $13.8 Billion / $115 per person for Mother's Day

• $12.6 Billion / $110 per person for Easter

• $9 Billion / $100 per person for Father's Day

• $5 billion / $60 per person for Halloween. National Retail Federation http://www.godweb.org/holidayspending.htm

• $36.3 billion was spent by Americans on pet food and supplies, veterinary visits, medicines, live animals and services (which include massage therapy, spa treatments, couture clothing and gourmet food). 2005, American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

• Pets outnumber people in the United States by about 60 million. 2005, American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/10/modern.pets/index.html

• ¹⁴ Bureau of Justice Statistics

• ¹⁵ Copyright © 2002 National Center for Policy Analysis; http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba428/

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