From: pjm@anegada.sps.mot.com (Patrick J. McGuinness)
Subject: Re: DEBATE: Statement - 10/19/92
Organization: SSDT SPS, Motorola Inc., Austin TX
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 20:08:45 GMT


Some HarelStatistics rear their ugly head, forcing a defender of
truth, justice, and the American way to come to the statistical
rescue. :-) :-)

In article <geyIPbC00Uh742m5dY@andrew.cmu.edu> Dean Calloway <dc4l+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>1. Between 1977 and 1990, the average income of the poorest fifth of
>American families declined by about 7%, while the richest fifth's income
>increased about 15%.  This has left the richest fifth with a bit over
>half of the nation's income...the highest portion ever recorded by the
>top 20 percent.

Gee, most of the loss was during the Carter years (1977-1981),
while there were gains from 1983-1990.
So you agree that Carter was a lousy President, and Reagan a
most righteous dude?

Median Family Income over the period in question:

        1970 29625    1980 31675
        1971 29590    1981 30811
        1972 31045    1982 30394
        1973 31659    1983 30719
        1974 30826    1984 31547
        1975 30270    1985 31962
        1976 31225    1986 33328
        1977 31410    1987 33805
        1978 32405    1988 33742
        1979 32821    1989 34213

Note the DROP during Carter, and RISE during Reagan.

Also:
Under Reagan Average Household income for _every_ fifth went up

        lowest   2nd     3rd     4th    Highest  top 5%
        _____   _____   ______  _____   ______   _______
1977    7,193   17,715  29,287  42,911  76,522   117,023
- this was mid Carter

1980    6,836   17,015  28,077  41,364  73,752   110,213
-This is the beginning of Reagan, notice everyone is on the 
downswin from Carter's mismanagement

1989    7,372   18,341  30,488  46,177  90,150   145,651
-At the end of Reagan's term _every_ group has improved

1990    7,195   18,030  29,781  44,901  87,137   138,756
- George "waffle boy" Bush increases government and raises taxes

Source: Bureau of the Census, Money Income of Households, 
        Families and Persons: 1990, p. 202
----

Average family income went up steadly during Reagan.
Source: Bureau of the Census, P-60, No. 174

----

After Reagan's tax cuts took hold in 1982 the number of people
living in poverty went down 3.89 million
Source: Bureau of the Census, Poverty in the US: 1990,
        August, 1991, pp. 16-17

-------

>2. The top 5% commanded 26% of the nation's total income, another record.

How sad. Lots of wealthy people.
You forgot to add that "the top 1% of politicians now command 26% of GNP".
Can you accept this horror without shame?


>3. By the end of the 1980'2, the top 1 percent of the American earners
>were payinga combined federal-state-local tax rate of only 26.8 percent,
>compared with 29% in 1975 and 39.6% in 1966.

-----
  In 1980 the top 5% from an income point of view paid 36.4% of all 
  income taxes collected. In 1990 the same top 5% paid 42.9% of the
  taxes.
 
  If the top 10% is examined, they paid 48.6% of the income tax load
  in 1980 and saw that increase to 53.9% by 1990.
-----
So the rich paid *more* in taxes. Thanks to a well-crafted tax-cut.

>4. The number of impoverished WORKING Americans climbed by nearly 2
>million, or 23 percent, between 1978 and 1987.

Again, most backwards movement was during the Carter years in the late 70s.
Gee, Dean, why do you post these stats that make Carter look bad?
Are you trying to scare us about Clinton?

        Change in number of jobs during the Reagan Era:
        Minimum wage: -25%
        10$/hour and up: +67%
        Source: William P. Chesire, in USA Today Op-Ed, Monday Aug 17th, 1992.

>
>5. During this same period, top executives of American corporations
>incomes rose 220% or about 12% a year (although during the first four
>years, the average was 8%.  The remainder was made up during the
>Eighties.)


>6. By 1990, the chief executive of one of America's top 100 companies,
>on average, earned $2,025,000.  This was 93 times the wages paid to the
>average American production worker for these same corporations.

Why don't you post the baseball player's salaries versus bat-boy salaries?


Pat

"Visualize Kemp President."
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,talk.politics.drugs