Harpooned

Tidbits from latest Index in Harper's magazine:

Jim Kuntsler is always talking about peak oil. Maybe he's onto something.

• Percentage by which Saudi Arabia's total oil supply might be overstated, according to leaked diplomatic cables: 72

This will make you feel safer, and oh so proud of our valiant CIA.

• Confirmed number of terrorist plots against the United States perpetrated by Muslims in 2010: 10
• By non-Muslims: 25
• Minimum number of people killed by CIA drone attacks in Pakistan last year: 607
• Number of those who appeared on a US list of most-wanted terrorists: 2

Now here's an idea for debt reduction.

• Amount of Defense Department spent last year on military bands: $317 million

Has there ever been a more useless agency of the United States government than the Transportation Security Administration?

• Estimated number of "behavior-detection officers" employed by the Transportation Security Administration: 2,800
• Estimated number of people these officers have flagged for examination under the program: 288,600
• Percentage of those examinations that led to an arrest: 0.7

Hypocritical bastards can be female too, but of course this sort of thing is common in congresspersons of all parties, but it seems especially deviant for a Tea Party person.

• Amount of federal subsidies given to the family farm of Michelle Bachman (R., Minn.) since 2001: $154,755

 A few seconds with the working class people, whom everyone in the government claims to be concerned about.

• Chance for the US job created last year was in a low-wage industry: 1 in 2
• Percentage of voters in the 2010 midterms who were members of a union household: 17
• Percent change in US labor productivity since 1972: +114
• Percent change in wages during that same period: -6
• Percent increase in food-stamp usage in 2010: 13

Now doesn't this make you feel so sorry for these people? (Are you freaking kidding me?)

• Chances that a US millionaire does not "feel wealthy": 2 and 5
• Average amount he or she believes would begin to create such a feeling: $7,500,000

This doesn't bode well for the future of millions of people. I wonder how much money it would take to create a feeling of well-being among them?

• Percentage of households whose head is nearing retirement age that have 401(k)-type accounts: 60
• Chance that such a household has adequate savings to maintain its standard of living into retirement: 1 in 10

Let's go to the schoolhouse, including scandalous numbers on those greedy teachers who are busting the budgets of states all over the country.

• Chance that a 2009 New York City high school graduate was deemed college-ready by the state's education department: 1 in 4
• Average salary difference between starting New York public school teacher and a first-year private lawyer in 1970: $2,000
• Today: $106,000

Related articles

• First Amendment stops at the TSA line (americablog.com)
• CIA will not halt operations in Pakistan: official (alternet.org)
• TSA security looks at people who complain about... TSA security (tipggita32.wordpress.com)