Sources and notes:
- Federal expenditures per capita for fiscal years 1961-2008; data based on numerous “Statistical Abstracts” and “Consolidated Federal Funds Reports” from the US Census Bureau website
- Fiscal year ending in year shown; specific date information not available; defense outlays in 2009 US$ billions; the 2009 amount of $690 billion is estimated; “Table 491. National Defense Outlays and Veterans Benefits,” US Census Bureau website (accessed July 15, 2010)
- Deficit is the difference between what the federal government spends and the amount it receives in revenues, usually over the period of a year. The accumulation of deficits year after year makes up the national debt. Prior to 1976, year signifies fiscal year July 1 of the year before to June 30 of that year; after 1976, year signifies fiscal year Oct. 1 of the year before to Sep. 30 of that year; “Table 1.1 – Summary of Receipts, Outlays, and Surpluses or Deficits (-): 1789-2015,” Office of Management and Budget website (accessed July 6, 2010); “Debt and Deficits,” by David Rosen, University of Nebraska at Omaha website (accessed Feb. 25, 2011)
- Fiscal years, specific dates of information not available; total on-budget support in constant fiscal year 2009 dollars; the amount for 1981 was unavailable so the 1980 amount of $100 billion was used; “Table 373. Federal Support and Estimated Federal Tax Expenditures for Education, by Category: Selected Fiscal Years, 1965 through 2009,” Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics website, Apr. 14, 2010
- Specific dates of information not available; “Table 10.1 – Gross Domestic Product and Deflators Used in the Historical Tables: 1940-2015,” US Government Printing Office website (accessed July 14, 2010)
- Prior to 1976, year signifies fiscal year July 1 of the year before to June 30 of that year; after 1976, year signifies fiscal year Oct. 1 of the year before to Sep. 30 of that year; “Table 16.1 – Total Outlays for Health Programs: 1962-2015,” Office of Management and Budget website (accessed July 7, 2010)
- National debt is the total amount of money that the federal government has borrowed over the years and not repaid. Fiscal years; the 2009 amount for $12,868 billion is estimated; “The 2010 Statistical Abstract: Federal Government Finances & Employment: Federal Budget–Receipts, Outlays, and Debt: Table 458: Federal Budget Debt,” US Census Bureau website (accessed Nov. 29, 2010); “Debt and Deficits,” by David Rosen, University of Nebraska at Omaha website (accessed Feb. 25, 2011)
- End-of-fiscal-year count; excludes Postal Service; “Historical Federal Workforce Tables: Executive Branch Civilian Employment Since 1940,” US Office of Personnel Management website (accessed Feb. 3, 2011)
- a. Fiscal years; 1981 Capital Gains Tax went into effect on June 9, 1981; “Capital Gains and Taxes Paid on Capital Gains for Returns with Positive Net Capital Gains, 1954-2005,” www.treasury.gov, Nov. 3, 2008; “Capital Gains Shift: Benefits Are Broad,” New York Times, Aug. 26, 1981; “Topic 409 – Capital Gains and Losses,” Internal Revenue Service website (accessed Jan. 31, 2011)b. Fiscal years; “Corporation Income Tax Brackets and Rates, 1909-2002,” Internal Revenue Service website (accessed Jan. 21, 2011); “OECD Nations Continue Cutting Corporate Tax Rates while U.S. Stands Still,” www.taxfoundation.org (accessed Jan. 21, 2011); extended footnotes also availablec. Fiscal years; “Personal Exemptions and Individual Income Tax Rates, 1913-2002, www.irs.gov (accessed Jan. 21, 2011); “U.S. Federal Individual Income Tax Rates History, 1913-2011,” www.taxfoundation.org (accessed Jan. 21, 2011); extended footnotes also available
- Percent Dec. to Dec.; calculated from the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U with a standard reference base period 1982-1984=100) which calculates consumer inflation; “Table Containing History of CPI-U U.S. All Items Indexes and Annual Percent Changes From 1913 to Present,” Bureau of Labor Statistics website, June 17, 2010
- Calculations from July 1 of each year between 1961 and 2005; “Historical National Population Estimates: July 1, 1900 to July 1, 1999,” US Census website, June 28, 2000; “Table 8: Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, and Divisions: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005,” US Census website, Dec. 22, 2005; “Population Finder,” US Census website (accessed July 12, 2010)
- Calculations based on surveys conducted in Feb., Mar., and Apr.; poverty thresholds are dollar amounts that are updated annually for inflation and vary according to family size and age of its members; “Table 7. Poverty of People, by Sex: 1966 to 2008,” US Census website (accessed July 14, 2010); “Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Covereage: 2009,” US Census website, Sep. 2010
- Calculated annual averages based on data from “Databases, Tables & Calculators by Subject” from the Bureau of Labor Statistics website (accessed July 8, 2010)
- Data are from the following specific dates and do not correspond to the day of administration change: Reagan: Jan. 30-Feb. 2, 1981 and Jan. 1989; Bush I: Jan. 24-28, 1989 and Jan. 8-11, 1993; Clinton: Jan. 23-26, 1993 and Jan. 18-19, 2001; Bush II: Jan. 24-25, 2001 and Jan. 15-18, 2009; “Job Performance Ratings,” webapps.ropercenter.uconn.edu (accessed Jan. 31, 2011); “A Look Back at the Polls,” CBS News website, June 7, 2004
- Adjusted daily close price; “Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI): Historical Prices,” Yahoo! Finance website (accessed Nov. 23, 2010)
- Daily price; US dollars per troy ounce; “Historical Gold,” Kitco website (accessed Nov. 24, 2010)
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