AMERICAN INDICATORS
Below is data that converts key information about the United States into an easy to read chart that attempts to live up to Edward Tufte's definition of graphics: intelligence made visible. The chart deals with a basic question: how are we doing? Progress is shown in green, regression in red and little change in yellow. We have broken the time periods into five year chunks with the years used in data rounded off. Sources to right.
 
ECONOMY 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s                                        
Minimum wage as % of average wage       From 56% to 41%         http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/07/28/an_unlivable_minimum/ 
Real income Up 233%                 http://prorev.com/liberals.htm   http://www.alternet.org/story/28626/ http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=1119025
Real manufacturing wages             Down 1%         Paul Krugman
Real income householders under 35               Down 8%     http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid=2006-02-26T170917Z_01_N2660992_RTRUKOC_0_US-LABOR.xml
Real income men in their 30s           Up 5%   Down 12%   http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-men26may26,1,1521168,full.story?coll=la-headlines-business&ctrack=2&cset=true
Real family income               Federal Reserve, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/29/opinion/29wed1.html?ex=1346040000&en=c384a3b808f63285&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Real individual income             http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/article/20070821/ZNYT01/708210407/1002/business
Real income bottom 60% of Americans           Down 5%         http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/business/28tax.html?ei=5088&en=fd84bcc13c1bba9c&ex=1322370000&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1166198532-3If28rH3TBNMLL/vKERokQ
Real income top 5% of Americans           Up 53%     -2%   http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/business/28tax.html?ei=5088&en=fd84bcc13c1bba9c&ex=1322370000&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1166198532-3If28rH3TBNMLL/vKERokQ
Real income top 1% of Americans           Up 248%         http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/business/28tax.html?ei=5088&en=fd84bcc13c1bba9c&ex=1322370000&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1166198532-3If28rH3TBNMLL/vKERokQ
Real income of male workers                    http://www.harvard-magazine.com/on-line/010682.html 
Real income of male workers 35-44           <---------------Down 10%--------------->   http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid=2006-02-26T170917Z_01_N2660992_RTRUKOC_0_US-LABOR.xml
Top 1% share of total income From 24% to 8%   From 8% to 21%             http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~saez/piketty-saezAEAPP06.pdf http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/03/29/163/ NYT 3/289/07
Income gap between rich and poor                        http://www.cbpp.org/1-26-06sfp.htm
Family indebtedness                   http://maxspeak.org/mt/archives/001849.html
CEO pay as a percent of average workers' pay         24x to 300x         http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyid=2006-06-22T050606Z_01_N21289227_RTRUKOC_0_US-FINANCIAL-PAY-1.xml&src=rss
Women's pay vs. men's                 http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4766864?source=rss
Top 1% share of wealth From  36% TO 29%   29% to 39%     http://prorev.com/liberals.htm
Top 1% growth in wealth           Greatest gap in 75 years Up 109%       http://prorev.com/statsec.htm
Bottom 40% decline in wealth           Greatest gap in 75 years Down 46%     http://prorev.com/statsec.htm
Foreign debt as a percent of GDP           Up five times     http://prorev.com/extreme.htm
Federal debt               Up 61%     Morris Investment Management Company
Deficit                             http://prorev.com/statsec.htm
Older families with pensions           Over half lost     http://prorev.com/extreme.htm
Workers covered by defined benefit pensions             Down 63%     http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/03/29/fidelity_to_end_employee_pension_plan/
Savings rate         Negative for first time since Depression            http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/08/BUG7IGJHEK1.DTL
Age at which one can receive Social Security                    
Median rent               Up 33%   http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyid=2006-03-08T061225Z_01_N07361515_RTRUKOC_0_US-PROPERTY-APARTMENTS-STUDY.xml
Annual personal savings rate of families       From 12.3% to 1%                    
Hunger                     http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051029093925.htm
Use of soup kitchens                   Washington Post 3/23/06
Personal bankruptcies             Up 400%       http://prorev.com/statsec.htm
Consumer credit debt               Up 60%    
Housing foreclosures             Up 350%     http://prorev.com/statsec.htm
Poverty rate                     Census and Brookings
Child poverty rate               http://maxspeak.org/mt/archives/001849.html
Black poverty rate           Down 23%             Centers for Disease Control
Latino poverty rate           Up 36%     Down 27%     Centers for Disease Control
Senior poverty rate       Down from 35% to 10%         http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0310/p01s02-ussc.html?s=hns
Severe poverty rate           Up 25% 2000-2005             http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0223-09.htm
U.S. auto industry  relative to foreign car makers             Down 67%     http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=11242
US manufacturing jobs                 Down 18%   http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=27975
US share of world tourist market                   http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2095-2360948,00.html
Number of women owned businesses               Up 51%   http://prorev.com/statsec.htm
Yearly mergers               Up 245%   http://prorev.com/statsec.htm
CRIME & CORRUPTION 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s                                        
Most corrupt administrations               http://prorev.com/extreme.htm
Nbr in prison                   Up four times     http://prorev.com/extreme.htm
Drug induced deaths despite drug war           Almost doubled   http://prorev.com/extreme.htm
Violent crime                     http://prorev.com/cl.htm
Executions               10 yr low   http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-executions15dec15,1,7725566.story?track=rss 
Crime rate                     FBI
Teenage murders, suicides, fatal accidents         Doubled          
Domestic violence                   http://www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?ID=10076
                 
CIVIL LIBERTIES 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s                                        
Civil rights                      
Civil liberties lost as result of drug war                        
Civil liberties lost as result of Bush regime                     Progressive Review
Censorship of airwaves by FCC               http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/09/AR2005110902078.html
Police SWAT team deployments             Up 1500%     Reason Magazine
Secret wiretaps               Up over 100%     http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8ORR5TG0&show_article=1
                 
WAR 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s                                        
Wrongful wars                       http://prorev.com/extreme.htm
Military expenditures               Up 126%    
                 
MINORITIES 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s                                        
Blacks moving out of poverty         25%         http://prorev.com/liberals.htm
Increase in black work hours for same pay           190 more hrs a year   http://prorev.com/extreme.htm
White families net worth                     http://prorev.com/statsec.htm
Black families net worth                     http://prorev.com/statsec.htm
Number of black owned TV stations               Down 30%   http://blackpressusa.com/News/Article.asp?SID=3&Title=Hot+Stories&NewsID=11945
                 
HEALTH 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s                                        
Health care benefit with pension           From 2/3s to less than 1/2             http://prorev.com/extreme.htm http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/nationworld/nation/~3/41270734/la-na-health25oct25,1,7649608.story
Nbr of families without health insurance               Up 33%     http://prorev.com/extreme.htm   http://www.cbpp.org/8-30-05health.htm
%  of corporations offering retiree health benefits             Down 50%     http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/060628/28biztravel.htm?s_cid=rss:site1
% of corporations with employee health benefits             Down 19%       http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/09/02/another_year_another_wage_loss/
Middle class without health insurance                     http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-uninsured26apr26,1,2553979.story?track=rss
% covered by fee for service             71% to 14%       http://prorev.com/statsec.htm
% doctors who treat poor for free                   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/22/AR2006032202052.html?nav=rss_health
% children covered by health insurance                       http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/national/04states.html?hp&ex=1133758800&en=052e944e5079b8b0&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Increase in out of pocket medical expenses                 Up 93%     http://www.drummajorinstitute.org/library/article.php?ID=6529
Cost of health insurance premiums                 Up 50%     http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomHealth-TopStories/~3/27713996/2006-09-26-health-premiums_x.htm
Longevity male     6 years added, about 1.2 a decade       Centers for Disease Control
Longevity female     8 years added, about 1.6 a decade       Centers for Disease Control
Longevity at 65     4 years added, about 0.8 a decade         Centers for Disease Control
Fatal heart disease     Down 60%         Centers for Disease Control
Fatal heart disease women                     Cardiovascular Disease in Special Populations
Fatal heart disease men                   Cardiovascular Disease in Special Populations
Fatal strokes               Down 24%     Nat Ctr for Health Statistics
Cancer death rate men                       Down 19%   Centers for Disease Control
Cancer death rate women       Down 14%         American Cancer Society
Cancer survival rate                 http://comment.independent.co.uk/leading_articles/article2548725.ece
Fatal male lung cancer                         American Cancer Society
Fatal male prostate cancer                           American Cancer Society
Fatal female lung cancer                         American Cancer Society
Fatal female breast cancer             American Cancer Society
Fatal HIV                 Down 50%   Centers for Disease Control
Turberculosis rate             http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/24/health/24tb.html?ex=1300856400&en=a71c618b6eac7a2b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Sexually transmitted diseases               Centers for Disease Control
Male testosterone levels                       Health News Daily
Five year cancer survival rate                 Centers for Disease Control
Infant mortality     Down 72%         Centers for Disease Control, UN Development Report
Black infant mortality     Down by two-thirds         Social Indicators 1976 & CDC
Premature & low birthrate babies                       http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-children14jul14,1,7553085.story?track=rss
Lead in children               Down 64%   Centers for Disease Control
Evidence of second hand smoke in adults               Down 75%   Centers for Disease Control
Childhood obesity         Up 400%               http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-07-11-pastimes-childhood_x.htm
State childcare programs                     http://www.alternet.org/stories/42507/
Is drinking a problem in your family?                       Gallup
Fatal motor accidents     Down 37%         Centers for Disease Control
Depression                     http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,2075796,00.html
Suicide rate     Down 18%         Centers for Disease Control
Suicide rate young and older persons                         http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=13634811&src=rss/healthNews
Suicide rate middle aged persons                     http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/mar2008/suic-10m.shtml
Accident death rate (not cars)     Down over 50%           Social Indicators 1976
Accident death rate cars           Centers for Disease Control
Murder rate       Doubled   Down by 50%       Centers for Disease Control
Black murder rate   Down by one third       Social Indicators 1976, Centers for Disease Control
Health expenditures as percent of GDP       Up 190%         Centers for Disease Control
Decline in emergency rooms                   http://tinyurl.com/kg4ru
Decline in public hospitals           Down 1/3           http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=f135608ba7baa39de409e05762e67504 
Infection rate in hospitals           Up 36%           http://www.governing.com/articles/8med.htm
Abortion rate                     Generations Strauss & Howe
Women as % of all doctors             From 12% to 27%     http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/15/us/15census.html?ex=1323838800&en=0854df3ef0203103&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
Consumption of fructose corn syrup             Twice as much     http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/15/us/15census.html?ex=1323838800&en=0854df3ef0203103&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
Decline in smoking                       Washington Post
Decline in teenage drinking & smoking                       http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-teen9jun09,0,2589635.story?coll=la-story-footer
                 
MEDIA 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s                                        
Nbr of corporations controlling most media           From 50 to 6     http://prorev.com/extreme.htm
Trust in major media                 http;//prorev.com/stats.htm
                 
SOCIAL 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s                                        
Time children spend playing  </