Actually these little statements are much more like massive signposts or utterances from a prophet. These were taken from the September 2009 issue of Harper's Magazine.
- Percentage change since 2002 in average premiums paid to large U.S. health-insurance companies: +87
- Percentage Change in the profits of the top ten insurance companies: +428
- Chances that an American bankrupted by medical bills has health insurance: 7 in 8
- Number of states that have run out of money for unemployment insurance: 16
- Date on which Illinois stopped paying to bury the corpses of the indigent: 7/1/2009
- Year by which Atlanta plans to have destroyed all its public housing: 2010
- Percentage of total U.S. home values that Americans currently own as equity: 41
- Percentage in 1945: 84
- Estimated value of troubled assets bought last fall by the federal government from U.S. banks, for each $1 spent: 66 cents
- Rank of the United States among the world's most peaceful countries, according to the 2009 Global Peace Index: 83
- Number of states in which a plurality of voters currently identify as Republican: 5
- Chances that a U.S. conservative displays an "implicit preference" for white over black people in psychological study: 4 in 5
- Chances that a liberal does: 3 in 4
- Chances that an African American does: 2 in 5
3 comments:
We protest! This is not a post!
It is a perverse tale of the future, dark and dystopian - a Bladerunner of health care where we are the androids..
and there is no humanity left...
We protest!
Sir,
I understand the protest, and I sympathize with your distress. The tale may indeed be perverse and the future dark and harrowing, but both of us know that our country is in serious, serious trouble. And we are watching what humanity there is just drain away.
Come to think of it, I protest too!
Dear Powderfinger,
Just to introduce myself, my name's Ellie and I'm writing on behalf of the Global Peace Index (GPI).
First of all we would like to sincerely thank you for previously including the GPI in your blog in the past.
As you'll be aware, the GPI is a ground-breaking piece of research in the study of peace, which not only ranks nations by their peacefulness but also seeks to identify the drivers of peace. Now in its fourth year, the Index is produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, a global think tank dedicated to the research and education of the relationship between economic development, business and peace. It is collated and calculated by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
We're getting in touch to alert you to the fact that the next Global Peace Index will be launched on June 8th 2010. We'll be providing you with further information closer to the time - unless you tell us that you'd rather not hear from us again - but thought you might appreciate the heads-up in the meantime.
You might want to join us on Facebook too:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Global-Peace-Index/92288319748?ref=ts
and follow us on Twitter
http://twitter.com/GlobPeaceIndex
If you've got any thought or questions about the Index, our methodology, or our organisation, please get in touch. We hope you find our research interesting and informative, and look forward to sharing this year's findings with you in a few weeks' time.
Best Wishes,
Ellie Kirby - updates@visionofhumanity.org
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