Discretionary spending is at the discretion of the Congress, where the money can be divided up into however they want. Mandatory spending constitutes 70% of the federal budget while discretionary constitutes the remaining 30%. In comparison to Japan’s budget deficit and government debt the United States is still higher; however, Japan is right under the United States with the second highest government debt in the whole entire world. In comparison, the United States debt is roughly 100% its GDP, the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country each year. Surprisingly, Japans debt is 200% of its total GDP.
Raising the Minimum Wage By: Driscoll, Sally and Grant Richard A The minimum wage in the United States is always debated in nearly every congressional sessions with often no resolution. In 2007, the federal minimum wage was raised to $5.85 an hour. The minimum wage hasn’t been increased since 1997. Within the 10 years that have passed between 1997-2007, the cost of goods had increased nearly to 23%, while housing and education increased even more. There was a bill passed by the United State Senate which increased the minimum wage to $7.25 in 2009.
Customer Analysis The total industrial consumption of cyano-acrylates which the new Bond-A-Matic 2000 would dispense was 265,000 pounds in FY 1978, expected to grow to about 335,000 pounds in FY 1979. Across 16 SIC categories, approximately 174,909 firms currently used cyano-acrylates (at a 15.5% market penetration.) 11% of CA users, i.e. approximately 19,240 firms used over 10 pounds of CAs per year, comprising at-least 75% of total current market. Assuming that growth in the CA segment stagnates, and that only heavy CA applicators would be interested in dispensing equipment the total market is still estimated at 19,240 users.
CAliforniA Alzheimer’s stAtistics In the United States, an estimated 5.4 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease, including at least 800,000 who live alone. Unless something is done to change the trajectory of the disease, as many as 16 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s by 2050. The cost of caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias is estimated to total $200 billion in 2012 and is projected to increase to $1.1 trillion per year (in today’s dollars) by mid-century. Number of People Aged 65 and Older with Alzheimer’s by Age Year 65–74 75–84 85+ Total % change from 2000 2000 2010 2020 2025 28,000 24,000 36,000 44,000 240,000 220,000 250,000 320,000 180,000 230,000 270,000 300,000 440,000 480,000
In 1980, there were 1.84 million people under some form of correctional observation, 30 years later, more than 7.5 million people were incarcerated, and that was a 5.66 million difference. “Based on the United States population of 303 million, this means the U.S. incarceration rate is 762 inmates per 100,000 people in population” (Innes, 02-2010). The Cost of Incapacitation The author states “…1988. That year marked the end of an eight-year period of rapid growth during which the correctional population doubled from 1.8 million
Everyone needs a home. Rich or poor; all people are included. This is a problem that occurs in many places of the world because housing costs a great deal of money, especially in the San Francisco area. Poor people can barely afford food and clothing so that makes it even more difficult to find affordable housing. As a result, some live in unsafe and unsanitary conditions that are badly in need of repair.
For example, in 1995, homeowners earning more than $100,000 per year received a total of $28.9 billion in federal income tax deductions on mortgage interest payments. By comparison, the entire 1999 budget of HUD was only $25 billion. AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS GETTING HARDER TO FIND For every 100 very low-income renters, only 76 affordable rental units are currently available. Between 1997 and 2001, the number of available units declined 13 percent; there were 1.8 million fewer units that very low-income renters could afford. Affordable Housing The U.S. Departmant of Health & Human Services releases a yearly guideline to gauge an individual or family’s poverty level.
Pros and Cons of Urbanization in Megacities In 1800, only 3 percent of the world’s population lived in cities, a figure that rose to 40 percent by the end of the twentieth century. In 1950, there were 83 cities with populations exceeding one million; by 2007, this number had risen to 468. If this trend continues, the world’s populations, as a whole, will double every forty-five years. The UN forecast that today’s urban population of 3.2 billion will rise to nearly 5 billion by 2030, when three out of five people will live in cities. The increase will be most dramatic on least- urbanized continents, such as Asia and Africa.
The ethical issue of homelessness is a major problem in our society today. The millions of impoverished individuals who face ridicule, shame and a lack of basic necessities are growing. Many of the homeless population are hard-working citizens who experienced financial instability thus leading to their dreaded state. Others aren’t educated or qualified for the few positions available to them. With the economy faltering, the homeless epidemic has risen amid a lack of funding and resources.
It is also unfair how people must “qualify” to receive benefits through taxes. Taxes are unfair through many aspects. Millions of our tax dollars go into starting government funded companies, such as Solyndra. When are required to pay taxes, they expect the money to be going to a good cause. However, 535 Million dollars went into building this state-of-the-art facility says Anthony Watts in his article.