What's the Real State of the Union? These Numbers May Tell

A day before President Obama delivers his third State of the Union Address, his political opponents are lining up their responses. Speaker John Boehner has already printed a pamphlet to back up his positions.

It is doubtful that the President and the Speaker will see eye to eye on many things. Presented below are some basic statistics about the country. The numbers have been culled from a Washington Times Op-Ed from Joseph Curl

In the area of jobs and unemployment:

• Unemployment currently sits at 8.5%. When Obama took office, it was 6.8%.
• There are fewer payroll jobs in America than there were in 2000, and 40% of those are considered to be "low-paying."
• Also in decline, the self-employed. In the past six years, two million fewer people consider themselves to be self-employed.

In January, USA Today quoted GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on the unemployment problem since Obama took office:

"Three full years into the Obama presidency, and there are still 1.7 million fewer Americans going to work today than there were on Obama's Inauguration Day."

Adding to the problems employment plaguing the average American, the cost of living is on the rise:

The price of a gallon of gas when Obama took office was $1.68. Today, the average price of gas is up 102% to $3.38/gallon

Home energy costs have also risen substantially:

• The average American household spends $1420 per year on electricity. The increase is about $300 per year.

Lifestyles have changed significantly too:

• The U.S. Census claims that 146 million people, nearly half of the country is considered "low income" or living in poverty.
• Median household income is down 7% over the past six years
• 20% of the American men between the ages of 25-35 now live at home with their parents, because they have to do so.
• Food Stamp use is at an all time high. 46 million people no rely on govt. assistance to get food into their homes, an increase of 14 million since Obama took office.

Thanks to the flagging economy, Americans have tightened their belts and cut spending on areas that would normally spark job growth:

• In 1985, Americans bought 11 million cars. In 2009, that number had fallen to 5.4 million.
• The average age of a car on the road in America is now 10 years. In 1990 - the average car was just 6.5 years old.

And then there is the subject of our revenue, spending and debt:

• America takes in $2.1 trillion dollars each year.

$2.1 trillion sounds like big number until you realize how much we spend:

• The latest budget says that we will spend $3.8 trillion.

Obviously we need to borrow money to play for the difference between our spending and our revenue:

• When Obama took office in 2009, our debt was $10.6 trillion. Today it stands at $15.23 trillion and is on track to smash through the $6.2 trillion dollar threshold during Obama's first term. That would be a record - one president amassing more debt than all of the presidents from Washington to Clinton COMBINED.

When it comes to the State of the Union, the country will likely hear many things from both the President and the GOP. Voters are perhaps best served by arming themselves with as many cold hard facts as possible.

H/T - Joseph Curl