By The Numbers

A few interesting numbers that I came across this past week.

3 out of every 4 jobs of the nearly 1 million hires this years are part-time positions per Reuters.  You don't think Obamacare has anything to do with this, do you?



6.6% of the private sector workforce is in a union. 35.9% of the public sector is unionized.  In 1973 private sector union membership was about 25% while public sector membership was 23%.  Declining union membership has forced the AFL-CIO to now offer membership to anyone.  It does not matter if they do not have a union affiliation.  They simply need the money. Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) supported the change and stated, "The freedom to choose to be part of this movement must be a freedom available to every worker".  That has to be one of the funniest statements I have heard this year as AFSCME opposes "Right to Work" laws that give workers the freedom to not join a union.  AFSCME also does not want public sector union workers to have the choice to stay out of a union.
http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/321225-labor-opens-doors-to-non-workers-to-bulk-up-as-membership-declines




10  The number of Nobel prizes won by the entire Muslim world. By contrast, graduates of Trinity College,Cambridge in the U.K. has produced 32 Nobel laureates by itself. In fact, the Muslim total drops to 4 compared to 31 for Trinity if you do not consider the Nobel Peace Prize. As another reference point, Harvard graduates have won 67 Nobel Prizes.
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/09/06/mark-steyn-blunt-words-about-muslim-backwardness/

14% The percent of Americans who believe the United States is more respected in the world today than it was five years ago. 48% believe the U.S is less respected. I thought President Obama was going to fix the negative view of us around the world caused by President Bush?
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/interactive/2013/09/09/fox-news-poll-voters-say-us-less-respected-since-obama-took-office/

40% Approval rating for President Obama in recent Fox News Poll. This ties the lowest positive approval in his Presidency (with December, 2010). His disapproval is now 54%, the highest since he took office. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100234866/flailing-obama-slumps-to-lowest-ratings-of-his-presidency-as-us-voters-see-him-as-a-weak-and-indecisive-leader/

48% The percent of births of babies in the United States that were paid by Medicaid last year. We are challenged by falling birth rates and the poor are having this many babies? This does not bode well for the future.
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-03/national/41716418_1_medicaid-coverage-health-law-state-federal-health-insurance-program

57%   The percent of houses purchased so far in 2013 in all cash transactions according to Goldman Sachs. In 2005, only 19% of home purchases were in cash. This clearly shows that Wall Street is buying Main Street. What happens when this money is no longer fueling the housing market and interest rates begin to rise?
http://www.moneynews.com/RobertWiedemer/housing-bubble-sales-cash/2013/09/05/id/523993?s=al

262,000  The number of Federal government workers who are age 60 or over. In 2000, it was only 94,000. This looks like a great opportunity to reduce the federal government payroll through natural attrition. That is what a private sector business would do if it was running deficits every year. Does anyone think like that in Washington, DC.?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/wave-of-retirements-hitting-federal-workforce/2013/08/26/97adacee-09b8-11e3-8974-f97ab3b3c677_story.html