Thanks to all the readers who have sent us suggestions for updating Bush by the Numbers, our look at the 43rd president’s impact across American life. We have incorporated some of the best and earliest-submitted ideas below.
Dow Jones Industrial Average
Jan. 19, 2001
10,588
Dec. 12, 2008
8,630
Source: Yahoo! Finance. Dave Norton and Michael Sheridan suggested comparing market performance.
Consumer debt
January 2001
$2.1 trillion
October 2008
$2.6 trillion
Adjusted to 2008 dollars. Source: Federal Reserve. Thanks to Philip Cardella and Huffington Post readers.
Percentage of people living in poverty in the U.S.
2000
11.3%
2007
12.5%
Source: Census Bureau. Thanks to Philip Cardella and Huffington Post readers.
Percentage of home mortgages in the process of foreclosure
Third Quarter 2000
1.09%
Third Quarter 2008
2.97%
Source: Mortgage Bankers Association. Huffington Post readers suggested the comparison.
Names on the no-fly list
2001
12
2008
2,500
Percentage of the federal budget outlays spent on contractors
2001
12%
2007
16%
Fiscal years. Sources: OMBWatch, White House Office of Management and Budget. Reader Linda Lubken proposed this analysis.
Percentage of Defense Department outlays spent on contractors
2001
50%
2007
59%
Fiscal years. Sources: OMBWatch, White House Office of Management and Budget. Thanks to reader Linda Lubken for the suggestion.
Estimated illegal immigrant population
2001
9.4 million
2008
11.9 million
Source: Pew Hispanic Center. Huffington Post readers pointed us to a post by Edwin S. Rubenstein in the blog VDare, which cited the Pew Hispanic Center study.
U.S. carbon emissions from fossil fuels, per capita, in metric tons
2001
1.12
2005
1.23
Source: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center. Reader Philip Cardella suggested a comparison of per capita carbon emissions.
U.S. oil production, in barrels per day
2001
9 million
2007
8.5 million
Source: Energy Information Administration. Thanks to our editor Tom Detzel for the suggestion.
U.S. oil consumption, in barrels per day
2001
19.6 million
2007
20.7 million
Source: Energy Information Administration. Reader Philip Cardella suggested looking at oil imports.
Environmental crime cases initiated
2001
482
2008
319
U.S. military deaths
Persian
Gulf
Gulf
382
Iraq & Afghanistan
4,835
As of Dec. 12, 2008. Source: Department of Defense. Reader Greg Moreau and Huffington Post readers suggested looking at U.S. military deaths.
U.S. military wounded
Persian
Gulf
Gulf
487
Iraq & Afghanistan
33,476
As of Dec. 6, 2008. Source: Department of Defense. Reader Greg Moreau suggested a count of the U.S. war wounded.
Civilian deaths
Persian Gulf
1,000- 3,500
Iraq
89,881- 98,133
Iraq war, March 2003 – Dec. 15, 2008. Sources: Beth Arkin and the Army War College, via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Iraq Body Count. Reader Harold Kramer and Huffington Post readers suggested looking at civilian casualties.
