Betty Arenson: Correcting the numbers

SCV Voices: Guest Commentary
SCV Voices: Guest Commentary
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A Dec. 14 Signal commentary, “Setting the chains on transition,” discussed the coming 2017 presidency. It also praised the departing president but unfortunately cited some incorrect statistics.

Author Gary Horton said when Obama took office (January 2009) America was “losing 800,000 jobs per month.

CNN Money in early 2009 reported 2008’s  total job losses at 2.6 million. That would be an average monthly job loss of 216,667.

Horton, lauding Obamacare, claims “20 percent of Americans had no health insurance by January 2009.”

Clear recall is that the constant number cited in the 2008 campaigns was “47 million uninsured.”

The U.S. Census Bureau and World Bank cite the 2008 American population as 304.1 million. Accordingly, 20 percent would be nearly 63 million uninsured.

Horton said “only 12 percent” are now lacking insurance; not so.

America’s population as of December 16, 2016 (Worldometers) was 325,192,218. If 12 percent remain uninsured that leaves “only” 39.02 million people uninsured.

Those numbers tell Obama’s administration wreaked havoc with a nation’s entire health care system – 18 percent of America’s economy —that reduced the uninsured by a pitiful 8 million people.

The commentary also mentioned Obama’s false assertion of a positive jobs-creation environment.

Conveniently omitted is the fact that the created jobs are significantly comprised of part-time and low-paying jobs and that working American families earn less today than prior years.

For example (CNN Money/U.S. Census): “The typical American family income was $53,657 in 2014 … $54,462 a year earlier.”  Did those families’ cost of living go up? You better believe it. Obamacare costs alone increased by massive double-digits and continue their upward spiral.

 

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