General Discussion

Kittycat

(10,493 posts) Wed Apr 20, 2016, 09:04 PM Apr 2016

My 10K Post: Who Will Save The Children? a credit back to DU

On Sept. 10, 2004 I officially joined DU, after lurking for quite a while in the background. This marks my 10,000th post, which I dedicate back to DU. It's a little long with the charts, but I hope you take the time to look it over. Thanks.

September 10, 2004. Democratic Underground
(credit: waybackmachine)

Lead article
Who Will Save The Children? by Mark Sullivan
http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/04/09/10_children.html

As I'm sure Bush knows as well as anyone, the United States is first in Gross Domestic Product; first in the number of millionaires and billionaires; first in health technology; first in military technology; first in military exports; and first in defense expenditures.
But we're also 14th in our efforts to lift children out of poverty. We're 16th in low birth weight rates; 18th in the percent of children in poverty; 18th in the percent of 15 year olds falling below international education benchmarks; 23rd in infant mortality; and dead last in protecting our children against gun violence.

Since our economy tanked, where do we stand today in these metrics?

Healthcare & Mortality
Health care ranking is last among developed nations
US spends more on Health care than other developed nations.
57th Infant Mortality rate
33rd Maternal Mortality Rate http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20150506/NEWS/150509941
Low birth weight rates
8% of all live births <2500g,
1.4% are Very Low BW or <1500g

2004 Article Continues:

The most recent example of children suffering under this administration comes straight from the United States Census Bureau, who just last month reported that 700,000 additional children fell into poverty in 2003. This is on top of the 546,000 children who joined the poverty ranks in Bush's first two years in office. Ninety percent of those 546,000 were either black or Latino.
This brings the total number of poverty-stricken children in America, the richest country the world has ever seen, to a staggering 12.8 million. Those numbers alone are enough to make anyone angry, but they are merely the beginning of the long list of Bush's attacks on our nation's future.

And today:

Children & Poverty

More than 16 million children in the United States – 22% of all children – live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level – $23,550 a year for a family of four. Research shows that, on average, families need an income of about twice that level to cover basic expenses. Using this standard, 45% of children live in low-income families.

http://www.nccp.org/topics/childpoverty.html

The percentage of children living in low-income families (both poor and near poor) has been on the rise—increasing from 39 percent in 2008 to 44 percent in 2014.

As the image above illustrates the percentages of low-income and poor children under 18 years vary by race and ethnicity: whites comprise the largest share of all low-income children (37 percent, 11.4 million) while Hispanics make up the largest share of poor children (36 percent, 5.6 million).5
Black, American Indian, and Hispanic children are disproportionately low income and poor (see figure 6 at link).

http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_1145.html

Education
US Ranks 17th in Education

Higher levels of parental education decrease the likelihood that a child will live in a low-income or poor family.
-snip
Children with a full-time, year-round employed parent are less likely to live in a low-income family, compared to children with parents who work part time or part year, or who are not employed.

Wage Stagnation

Far more at the link if you have time to read it.
http://www.epi.org/publication/charting-wage-stagnation/

Income Inequality: 1% vs. the 99%

The US Still leads in GDP, but China now leads in GDP/PPP (Purchasing Power Parity)

http://knoema.com/nwnfkne/world-gdp-ranking-2015-data-and-charts

The US still holds the title of most Billionaires: 540 billionaire households, March 2016 report
http://www.forbes.com/sites/katiesola/2016/03/08/the-25-countries-with-the-most-billionaires/6/#3f56b338461b

As well as the most Millionaires: 5.9 million, millionaire households, April 2016 report
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/10091332/Which-countries-have-the-most-millionaires.html

These are just some highlighted comparisons to a very thoughtful article written almost 12 years ago on many of the failures of GWB beyond the Iraq War. 12 years later for better or worse, here were stand.