I love a Harper’s Index. Even moreso when it’s an aggregate like this one. Full of gems such as:
Portion of all U.S. income gains during the Bush Administration that have gone to the top 1 percent of earners: 3/4
Amount the Justice Department spent in 2001 installing curtains to cover two seminude statues of Justice: $8,650
Total value of U.S. government contracts in 2000 that were awarded without competitive bidding: $73,000,000,000
Total in 2007: $146,000,000,000
Minimum number of Bush appointees who have regulated industries they used to represent as lobbyists: 98
how are any of these numbers or statistics (assuming generously that they are just that) relevant unless they are given in some context to some standard?
for example:”portion of all U.S. income gains during the Bush Administration that have gone to the top 1 percent of earners: 3/4″
what was the percentage during clinton? bush? reagan? carter? what was the average during the first four year? last four years? how much did the top 1% see in tax increases during the same measured periods versus the bottom 99%? how does harpers justify publishing this one sided crap? it serves no purpose.
if we want to data mine for misleading sound bites about a person then by all means i want the job! i could find a wealth if them on the clintons alone! and obama….ohhh bama! he would make me rich!