The Legacy of the George W. Bush presidency

The chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, Rahm Emanuel, debuted the following chart last week in anticipation of the President Bush's final State of the Union address tonight. It's pretty startling stuff...

THE LEGACY OF GEORGE W. BUSH’S PRESIDENCY

The Country He Inherited, The Country He Leaves Behind

THE ECONOMY	JANUARY 20, 2001	TODAY UNDER BUSH
REAL GDP GROWTH1	4.09% Over Prior 8 Years	2.65% Over Prior 7 Years
NATIONAL DEBT2	$5.7 Trillion	$9.2 Trillion
BUDGET DEFICIT/SURPLUS3	$431 Billion Surplus over the Previous Three Budget Years	$734 Billion Deficit over the Previous Three Budget Years
NEW PRIVATE SECTOR JOBS CREATED4	1.76 Million Jobs Per Year Over Previous 8 Years	369,000 Jobs Per Year Over Previous 7 Years
AMERICANS IN POVERTY 5	31.6 Million	36.5 Million
QUALITY OF LIFE	JANUARY 20, 2001	TODAY UNDER BUSH
AMERICANS UNINSURED & CHANGE IN UNINSURED LEVEL6	38 Million Uninsured 4.5 Million Less in 2 Years	47 Million Uninsured 8.5 Million More in 6 Years
ANNUAL TOTAL PREMIUM COST7	$6,230 for Family Premium	$12,106 for Family Premium
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME & CHANGE IN MEDIAN INCOME8	$49,163 $6,000 Increase in 8 Years	$48,023 $1,100 Decrease in 6 Years
PRICE OF GAS9	$1.39/Gallon	$3.07/Gallon
COST OF COLLEGE10	$3,164 per year	$5,192 per year
PERSONAL SAVINGS RATE11	+2.3%	-0.5%
CONSUMER CREDIT DEBT12	$7.65 Trillion	$12.8 Trillion
UNITED STATES & THE WORLD	JANUARY 20, 2001	TODAY UNDER BUSH
U.S. TRADE DEFICIT13	$380 Billion	$759 Billion
STRENGTH OF U.S. DOLLAR14	1.07 Euros per Dollar	0.68 Euros Per Dollar
COMBAT READINESS15	All Active Duty Army Divisions Were Rated At The Highest Readiness Levels	Not A Single Active Duty Or Reserve Brigade In The U.S. Considered “Fully Combat Ready.”
FOREIGN OIL DEPENDENCY16	52.75% of U.S. Liquid Fuel Consumption is Imported	60.38% of U.S. Liquid Fuel Consumption is Imported
VIEW OF AMERICA ABROAD17 PEW POLL OF TEN NATIONS	58.3% Viewed America Favorably	39.2% Viewed America Favorably
GREAT BRITAIN’S VIEW OF U.S.	83% Favorable	56% Favorable
INDONESIA’S VIEW OF U.S.	75% Favorable	30% Favorable
TURKEY’S VIEW OF U.S.	52% Favorable	12% Favorable
GERMANY’S VIEW OF U.S.	78% Favorable	37% Favorable