He Won't Be Missed

We are less than 2 weeks from finally getting our new President! Although George W Bush will likely be remembered for his handling of three catastrophes that all happened on his watch: the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the collapse of America’s financial system, let's compare some of the hard numbers from 2001 to now:

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

Then: 4.2% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 2001)
Now: 6.7% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2008)

DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE
Then: 10,587 (close of Friday, Jan. 19, 2001)
Now: 9,015 (close of Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009)

BUSH FAVORABILITY RATING
Then: 50% (1/01 NBC/WSJ poll)
Now: 31% (12/08 NBC/WSJ poll)

SATISFIED WITH THE NATION'S DIRECTION

Then: 45% (1/01 NBC/WSJ poll)
Now: 26% (12/08 NBC/WSJ poll)

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE (1985=100)
Then: 115.7 (Conference Board, January 2001)
Now: 38.0, which is an all-time low (Conference Board, Dec. 2008)

FAMILIES LIVING IN POVERTY
Then: 6.4 million (Census numbers for 2000)
Now: 7.6 million (Census numbers for 2007)

AMERICANS WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE
Then: 39.8 million (Census numbers for 2000)
Now: 45.7 million (Census numbers for 2007)

U.S. BUDGET
Then: +236.2 billion surplus (2000, Congressional Budget Office)
Now: -$1.2 trillion deficit (projected for 2009, CBO)

President-elect Obama is calling for quick action by Congress to pass sweeping economic stimulus measures, saying that without them “this recession could linger for years.” I don't think he's kidding. Unemployment figures due out tomorrow are expected to show that the U.S. lost another 500,000 jobs in December and some economists are predicting that we'll lose another 1 million jobs over the next few months and the unemployment rate will reach 9% this year. 

By the way, The Daily Beast also takes a look back at some of the less memorable scandals this poor excuse for a chief executive has brought us.