Random Points of Perspective

On Mandates

Number of Americans that voted for Barack Obama: 66.8 million
Number of Americans that DIDN’T vote for Barack Obama: 237 million

Electoral votes for Barack Obama: 365
Electoral votes for Ronald Reagan (1984): 525

(source: Wikipedia.org)

On War

Cost of “War on Terror” in Iraq and Afghanistan (through FY2008 request):
$820 billion ( in 2007 dollars)

Cost of American Revolution, War of 1812, Mexican War, Civil War (Union & Confederate costs), Spanish-American War, World War I, and Persian Gulf War combined:
$551 billion (in inflation -adjusted 2007 dollars)

(source: Reason Magazine)

On Taxes

Year 2000 (Before “Bush tax cuts for the wealthy“):
Top 10% of wage earners paid 67.33% of all federal income taxes collected.
Bottom 50% of wage earners paid 3.91% of all federal income taxes collected.

Year 2006 (After “Bush tax cuts for the wealthy“):
Top 10% of wage earners paid 70.79% of all federal income taxes collected.
Bottom 50% of wage earners paid 2.99% of all federal income taxes collected.

(source: Heritage Foundation)

On Guns

Australian crime rates during the 6 years following passage of sweeping gun ban in 1996:
armed robbery + 51%, unarmed robbery +37%, assault +24%, kidnapping +43%, murder - 3%, manslaughter +16%

English handgun crime in 2 years following its 1997 gun ban: +40%

Increase in the number of guns in U.S. during the 1990s: +40 million
Murder rate during same period: -40%
Accidental gun deaths during same period: -40%

(source: Gun Owners of America)