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Injustice Index 2009
Date on which Tom DeLay first appeared to do the Cha Cha on “Dancing with the Stars”: 9/21/2009 1
Date on which DeLay described himself as “insane or stupid” and withdrew himself from the show due to a medical injury: 10/6/2009 2
Date on which then House Majority Leader Tom DeLay brought legislation to the floor which would make it harder for insolvent households to declare bankruptcy: 4/14/2005 3
Proportion of personal bankruptcies in the U.S. that can be traced to medical causes: 3 in 5 4
Number of uninsured Americans in 2008, the most recent year for which data are available: 46.3 million 5
Number of Americans who lost employer-sponsored health coverage between 2007 and 2008, but remained insured due to public programs: 3 million 6
Total percentage of Americans relying on government health coverage in 2008: 29 7
Percentage of Americans who supported a federal or state-based public health insurance option, according to an October Washington Post poll: 76 8
Percentage who wanted a public option even if it meant Congressional health care reform legislation would not have bipartisan support: 51 9
Proportion of Americans who believed proposed health care legislation would create government “death panels” as of August: 1 in 3 10
Percentage of Fox News viewers who believed this: 45 11
Number of guns a protester brought to a town hall meeting on health care in Jackson, Michigan: 3 12
Approximate proportion of U.S. voters who “believe Obama is ruthlessly advancing a ‘secret agenda’ to bankrupt the United States and dramatically expand government control” according to Democracy Corps: 1/5 13
Additional jobs that would be lost by the end of 2010 if the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act had not passed, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office: 2.5 million 14
Minimum number of Americans the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act prevented from falling below the poverty line in 2009: 6.2 million 15
Total number of Americans unemployed or under-employed in October 2009: 27.4 million 16
Proportion of voters who say someone in their household was laid off in 2009: 1 in 4 17
Ratio of job seekers to job openings6: 6:1 18
Total stimulus spending in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: $787 billion 19
Minimum number of states that have implemented budgets cuts restricting low-income families’ eligibility for health insurance or reducing access to health care services in spite of the federal stimulus funding: 27 20
Minimum number of states cutting aid to K-12 schools and early education programs: 25 21
Amount of federal stimulus money earmarked for education and public safety in South Carolina that Governor Mark Sanford attempted to reject before the state legislature, enforced by a court order, compelled him to accept the funds: $700 million 22
Date on which Sanford’s aides announced that the governor, who had mysteriously disappeared the week before, was “hiking the Appalachian trail”: 6/22/2009 23
Date on which a record 10.6 million viewers tuned in to the episode of reality series “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” in which the prolific parents announced that they were splitting up: 6/22/2009 24
Minimum number of major U.S. corporations, including Apple and PG&E, that split from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce due to its opposition to climate change legislation: 7 25
Date on which the Chamber of Commerce announced it would “consider a different approach” in addressing climate change: 11/3/2009 26
Estimated support offered by the federal government to banks and other financial institutions since 2007: $23.7 trillion 27
Year in which Goldman Sachs paid its highest bonuses ever: 2007 28
Year in which Goldman Sachs is expected to break this record: 2009 29
Proportion of homes where owners currently owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth: Nearly 1 in 5 30
Total estimated drop in property values nationwide in 2009 due to foreclosures on nearby homes: $502 billion 31
Date on which Elizabeth M. Jacobson, former Wells Fargo sales manager, testified about techniques used by the company to deceive loan applicants into taking out subprime loans with high interest rates even if they qualified for lower interest prime loans: 4/20/2009 32
Proportion of subprime loans projected to result in foreclosure, even before the housing crash: 1 in 5 33
Date on which a federal judge refused to dismiss the City of Baltimore’s lawsuit against Wells Fargo for targeting the city’s African American neighborhoods for predatory subprime mortgages: 7/2/2009 34
Minimum federal funds provided to Wells Fargo to keep it out of bankruptcy: $25 billion 35
Date that President Obama launched his foreclosure prevention plan, which pays mortgage servicers to voluntarily modify loans that homeowners can no longer pay: 2/18/2009 36
Percentage of eligible loans that had been voluntarily modified by banks and servicers, as of September: 16 37
Number of Senators who voted not to let judges require banks to modify mortgages for homeowners who have been driven into bankruptcy: 51 38
Age Michael Jackson would have been this year: 51 39
Number of Senators who voted not to confirm Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court: 31 40
Minimum number of online campaigns devoted to pressuring CNN to drop host Lou Dobbs, who called Sonia Sotomayor a “racist” and described her nomination as “pandering to the Hispanics': 4 41
Date that Dobbs cast doubt on the legitimacy of President Obama’s birth certificate, insisting that “there are real questions here that need to be answered”: 7/15/2009 42
Percentage of voters in Virginia who believe President Obama was not born in the U.S., or are not sure: 48 43
Date that Dobbs announced that he was leaving CNN: 11/11/2009 44
Date on which Fox News commentator Glenn Beck suggested that the H1N1 swine flu vaccine could turn out to be “deadly” and advised “I'd do the exact opposite of what Homeland Security says': 9/30/2009 45
Percentage of parents who say they would be unlikely to give permission for their kids to be vaccinated for the H1N1 flu virus at school: 38 46
Estimated number of American children who were hospitalized due to the swine flu between April 2009 and mid-November: 71,000 47
Date on which Tom DeLay first appeared to do the Cha Cha on “Dancing with the Stars”: 9/21/2009 1
Date on which DeLay described himself as “insane or stupid” and withdrew himself from the show due to a medical injury: 10/6/2009 2
Date on which then House Majority Leader Tom DeLay brought legislation to the floor which would make it harder for insolvent households to declare bankruptcy: 4/14/2005 3
Proportion of personal bankruptcies in the U.S. that can be traced to medical causes: 3 in 5 4
Number of uninsured Americans in 2008, the most recent year for which data are available: 46.3 million 5
Number of Americans who lost employer-sponsored health coverage between 2007 and 2008, but remained insured due to public programs: 3 million 6
Total percentage of Americans relying on government health coverage in 2008: 29 7
Percentage of Americans who supported a federal or state-based public health insurance option, according to an October Washington Post poll: 76 8
Percentage who wanted a public option even if it meant Congressional health care reform legislation would not have bipartisan support: 51 9
Proportion of Americans who believed proposed health care legislation would create government “death panels” as of August: 1 in 3 10
Percentage of Fox News viewers who believed this: 45 11
Number of guns a protester brought to a town hall meeting on health care in Jackson, Michigan: 3 12
Approximate proportion of U.S. voters who “believe Obama is ruthlessly advancing a ‘secret agenda’ to bankrupt the United States and dramatically expand government control” according to Democracy Corps: 1/5 13
Additional jobs that would be lost by the end of 2010 if the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act had not passed, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office: 2.5 million 14
Minimum number of Americans the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act prevented from falling below the poverty line in 2009: 6.2 million 15
Total number of Americans unemployed or under-employed in October 2009: 27.4 million 16
Proportion of voters who say someone in their household was laid off in 2009: 1 in 4 17
Ratio of job seekers to job openings6: 6:1 18
Total stimulus spending in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: $787 billion 19
Minimum number of states that have implemented budgets cuts restricting low-income families’ eligibility for health insurance or reducing access to health care services in spite of the federal stimulus funding: 27 20
Minimum number of states cutting aid to K-12 schools and early education programs: 25 21
Amount of federal stimulus money earmarked for education and public safety in South Carolina that Governor Mark Sanford attempted to reject before the state legislature, enforced by a court order, compelled him to accept the funds: $700 million 22
Date on which Sanford’s aides announced that the governor, who had mysteriously disappeared the week before, was “hiking the Appalachian trail”: 6/22/2009 23
Date on which a record 10.6 million viewers tuned in to the episode of reality series “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” in which the prolific parents announced that they were splitting up: 6/22/2009 24
Minimum number of major U.S. corporations, including Apple and PG&E, that split from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce due to its opposition to climate change legislation: 7 25
Date on which the Chamber of Commerce announced it would “consider a different approach” in addressing climate change: 11/3/2009 26
Estimated support offered by the federal government to banks and other financial institutions since 2007: $23.7 trillion 27
Year in which Goldman Sachs paid its highest bonuses ever: 2007 28
Year in which Goldman Sachs is expected to break this record: 2009 29
Proportion of homes where owners currently owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth: Nearly 1 in 5 30
Total estimated drop in property values nationwide in 2009 due to foreclosures on nearby homes: $502 billion 31
Date on which Elizabeth M. Jacobson, former Wells Fargo sales manager, testified about techniques used by the company to deceive loan applicants into taking out subprime loans with high interest rates even if they qualified for lower interest prime loans: 4/20/2009 32
Proportion of subprime loans projected to result in foreclosure, even before the housing crash: 1 in 5 33
Date on which a federal judge refused to dismiss the City of Baltimore’s lawsuit against Wells Fargo for targeting the city’s African American neighborhoods for predatory subprime mortgages: 7/2/2009 34
Minimum federal funds provided to Wells Fargo to keep it out of bankruptcy: $25 billion 35
Date that President Obama launched his foreclosure prevention plan, which pays mortgage servicers to voluntarily modify loans that homeowners can no longer pay: 2/18/2009 36
Percentage of eligible loans that had been voluntarily modified by banks and servicers, as of September: 16 37
Number of Senators who voted not to let judges require banks to modify mortgages for homeowners who have been driven into bankruptcy: 51 38
Age Michael Jackson would have been this year: 51 39
Number of Senators who voted not to confirm Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court: 31 40
Minimum number of online campaigns devoted to pressuring CNN to drop host Lou Dobbs, who called Sonia Sotomayor a “racist” and described her nomination as “pandering to the Hispanics': 4 41
Date that Dobbs cast doubt on the legitimacy of President Obama’s birth certificate, insisting that “there are real questions here that need to be answered”: 7/15/2009 42
Percentage of voters in Virginia who believe President Obama was not born in the U.S., or are not sure: 48 43
Date that Dobbs announced that he was leaving CNN: 11/11/2009 44
Date on which Fox News commentator Glenn Beck suggested that the H1N1 swine flu vaccine could turn out to be “deadly” and advised “I'd do the exact opposite of what Homeland Security says': 9/30/2009 45
Percentage of parents who say they would be unlikely to give permission for their kids to be vaccinated for the H1N1 flu virus at school: 38 46
Estimated number of American children who were hospitalized due to the swine flu between April 2009 and mid-November: 71,000 47
1. http://duelthegame.abc.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/photos/279916/292160
2. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/10/06/2009-10-06_tom_delay_withdraw
3. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll108.xml
4. http://www.pnhp.org/new_bankruptcy_study/Bankruptcy-2009.pdf
5. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/hlthin08.html
6. http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/health_picture_20090910/
7. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/hlthin08.html
8. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_101909.html?sid=ST20091
9. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_101909.html?sid=ST20091
10. http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1319/death-panels-republicans-fox-viewers
11. http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1319/death-panels-republicans-fox-viewers
12. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/12/tea.party.express/?imw=Y
13. http://www.democracycorps.com/focus/2009/10/the-very-separate-world-of-conservative-
14. http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=10014&type=1
15. http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2910
16. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_11062009.htm
17. http://www.epi.org/page/-/tracking_the_recovery_survey/show9694.pdf
18. http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/09/27/business/27jobs.graf01.ready.html
19. http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9989/hr1conference.pdf
20. http://www.cbpp.org/files/3-13-08sfp.pdf
21. http://www.cbpp.org/files/3-13-08sfp.pdf
22. http://www.thestate.com/154/story/814257.html
23. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/governors/where-in-the-world-is-mark-san.htm
24. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/295542-_Jon_Kate_Plus_8_Separation_Episode_
25. http://www.whodoesthechamberrepresent.org/
26. http://www.uschamber.com/issues/letters/2009/091103climate.htm
27. http://www.sigtarp.gov/reports/congress/2009/July2009_Quarterly_Report_to_Congress.p
28. http://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-bonuses-will-break-2007-record-analysts-2009-
29. http://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-bonuses-will-break-2007-record-analysts-2009-
30. http://www.responsiblelending.org/mortgage-lending/research-analysis/snapshot-of-for
31. http://www.responsiblelending.org/mortgage-lending/research-analysis/soaring-spillov
32. http://www.consumerlaw.org/unreported/content/jacobson-decl.pdf
33. http://www.responsiblelending.org/mortgage-lending/research-analysis/losing-ground-f
34. http://www.mdd.uscourts.gov/Opinions/Opinions/WellsFargoMemo.pdf
35. http://www.oag.state.ny.us/media_center/2009/july/pdfs/Bonus%20Report%20Final%207.30
36. http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/tg33.htm
37. http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/docs/MHA%20Public%20100809%20Final.pdf
38. http://www.themiddleclass.org/bill/helping-families-save-their-homes-bankruptcy-amen
39. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/2009/09/19/2009-09-19_michael_jackson_fans_
40. http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congres
41. http://tonyherrera.com/2009/09/dropdobbs-bastadobbs-is-enough-enough-is-momentum-bui
42. http://mediamatters.org/research/200907170039
43. http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_VA_805513.pdf
44. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/11/lou.dobbs.statement/index.html
45. http://mediamatters.org/print/research/200910070043
46. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=8773955
47. http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/pdf/december10.pdf
top
2. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/10/06/2009-10-06_tom_delay_withdraw
3. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll108.xml
4. http://www.pnhp.org/new_bankruptcy_study/Bankruptcy-2009.pdf
5. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/hlthin08.html
6. http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/health_picture_20090910/
7. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/hlthin08.html
8. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_101909.html?sid=ST20091
9. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_101909.html?sid=ST20091
10. http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1319/death-panels-republicans-fox-viewers
11. http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1319/death-panels-republicans-fox-viewers
12. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/12/tea.party.express/?imw=Y
13. http://www.democracycorps.com/focus/2009/10/the-very-separate-world-of-conservative-
14. http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=10014&type=1
15. http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2910
16. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_11062009.htm
17. http://www.epi.org/page/-/tracking_the_recovery_survey/show9694.pdf
18. http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/09/27/business/27jobs.graf01.ready.html
19. http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9989/hr1conference.pdf
20. http://www.cbpp.org/files/3-13-08sfp.pdf
21. http://www.cbpp.org/files/3-13-08sfp.pdf
22. http://www.thestate.com/154/story/814257.html
23. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/governors/where-in-the-world-is-mark-san.htm
24. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/295542-_Jon_Kate_Plus_8_Separation_Episode_
25. http://www.whodoesthechamberrepresent.org/
26. http://www.uschamber.com/issues/letters/2009/091103climate.htm
27. http://www.sigtarp.gov/reports/congress/2009/July2009_Quarterly_Report_to_Congress.p
28. http://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-bonuses-will-break-2007-record-analysts-2009-
29. http://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-bonuses-will-break-2007-record-analysts-2009-
30. http://www.responsiblelending.org/mortgage-lending/research-analysis/snapshot-of-for
31. http://www.responsiblelending.org/mortgage-lending/research-analysis/soaring-spillov
32. http://www.consumerlaw.org/unreported/content/jacobson-decl.pdf
33. http://www.responsiblelending.org/mortgage-lending/research-analysis/losing-ground-f
34. http://www.mdd.uscourts.gov/Opinions/Opinions/WellsFargoMemo.pdf
35. http://www.oag.state.ny.us/media_center/2009/july/pdfs/Bonus%20Report%20Final%207.30
36. http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/tg33.htm
37. http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/docs/MHA%20Public%20100809%20Final.pdf
38. http://www.themiddleclass.org/bill/helping-families-save-their-homes-bankruptcy-amen
39. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/2009/09/19/2009-09-19_michael_jackson_fans_
40. http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congres
41. http://tonyherrera.com/2009/09/dropdobbs-bastadobbs-is-enough-enough-is-momentum-bui
42. http://mediamatters.org/research/200907170039
43. http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_VA_805513.pdf
44. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/11/lou.dobbs.statement/index.html
45. http://mediamatters.org/print/research/200910070043
46. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=8773955
47. http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/pdf/december10.pdf
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Past Installments of DMI Injustice Index
Injustice Index 2009 (December 2009)
The 2008 DMI Injustice Index: The Bush Legacy (December 2008)
DMI INJUSTICE INDEX: PAID SICK LEAVE (May 2008)
The Drum Major Institute 2007 Injustice Index (December 2007)
The Drum Major Institute 2006 Injustice Index (January 2007)
The United Estates of America (June 2006)
The Drum Major Institute 2005 Injustice index (December 2005)
Hurricane Katrina (September 2005)
The American Worker (May 2005)
The Drum Major Institute 2004 Injustice Index (December 2004)
You Go Girl! (July 2004)
Pomp and Circumstance (June 2004)
The Black Middle Class (May 2004)
The Apprentice (April 2004)
Climbing the Ladder (March 2004)
White Collar Wonders (February 2004)
The Drum Major Institute 2003 Injustice Index (January 2004)
Children … Next (November 2003)
A Taxing Affair (October 2003)
Rich Man's Justice, Poor Man's Justice (September 2003)
Independence Day (July 2003)
The Gay and Lesbian Family (June 2003)
Criminal Injustice (March 2003)
Family Values (February 2003)
The 108th Congress (January 2003)
Shelter (November 2002)
Choices (September 2002)
States of the Union: Six Snapshots of America (January 2002)