The Page That Counts :: Fall 1997

Number of new families getting federal housing help in the mid '70s: 400,000

In the mid-'80s (Reagan years): 40,000

Number of new families to receive housing help under 1996 National Housing Act (passed Sept. 30, 1996): 0¹

 

 

Amount Americans gave to charity in 1995: approximately $140 billion²

 

Amount of tax breaks received by corporations in 1994: $167 billion

Total federal expenditure on welfare (AFDC): $50 billion³

 

 

Cost of the THAAD anti-missile being developed by Lockheed: $17 billion

Number of times it has been tested: 4

Number of tests it has failed: 4⁴

 

 

Percentage increase since 1995 in the average tooth-fairy payment, per tooth: 10%⁵

 

Percentage increase in the median CEO's total pay ($1.9 million) in 1996: 24%⁶

 

 

Distance from the Sphinx's nose to the nearest Kentucky Fried Chicken: 200 yards⁷

 

 

Amount spent at British corner shops to provide one local job: £50,000

Amount spent by customeres at UK supermarkets to provide one local job: £250,000⁸

 

 

Total number of hours a day San Franciscans lose sitting in traffic jams: 90,000⁹

 

 

Amount Michael Jordan makes in one year for his work with Nike: $20 million¹⁰

 

Amount earned daily by Indonesian factory workers manufacturing Nike athletic shoes: $2.28¹¹

 

 

Amount Michael Jordan will make per game, assuming he averages 30 minutes a game: $300,000

Amount he will make per day, assuming $40 million in endorsements over the next year: $178,100

Amount M.J. makes every night while he sleeps (assuming 7 hours a night): $52,000

Amount he makes per hour more than the minimum wage: $7,415

Amount per year a person would make if M.J. gave them a tenth of a penny for every dollar he made: $65,000¹²

 

 

Number of years Michael Jordan would have to save 100% of his income (not counting interest) to have a net worth equivalent to that of Bill Gates: 560 years¹³

 

 

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Sources:1. Jason De Parle, "Slamming the Door," New York Times Magazine, October 20, 1996. 2. Worth Magazine, November 1996, cited in Green Money Journal,Spring 1997. 3. James Ridgeway, "Leaving the Left for Dead," Village Voice,Vol. 41, No. 36, 9/3/96, cited in A Matter of Fact,Vol. 25, July-December, 1996. 4. Business Section, Washington Post,cited in the Progressive Review On-line,, #50. 5. Delta Dental Plan of Minnesota (Minneapolis), cited in Harper's Magazine,May 1997. 6. Steve Kichen, "Spoils of Success," Forbes,May 19, 1997. 7. Kentucky FRied Chicken (Giza, Egypt), cited in Harper's Magazine,April 1997. 8. New Economics in Snapshot Research, New Economics Magazine,#41, Spring 1997. 9. Recent study by the Institute of Urban and Regional Planning, University of California at Berkeley, cited in the Progressive Reviewon-line, #57. 10. Mike Littwin, "While we jump all over Kathie Lee Gifford, let's not forget who took the game to new heights," The Baltimore Sun,6/12/96. 11. "Nike's Indonesian Shoe Plant: Boon or 'Sweatshop'?" Washington Post,reprinted in Seattle Times, 9/30/96. 12. Found on the Internet. Note: sources include the Baltimore Sunand the Seattle Times. Figures assume Michael Jordan's total income is approximately $65 million per year. 13. "Biggest Billionaire is Bill Gates" ($34.4 billion) Forbes, 7/28/97 cited by Reuters.