from the December, 2003, Harper's Index . . .

[OneBlueSky]

Chance that a civilian federal worker is employed by the Department of Homeland Security: 1 in 12

Number of new government jobs created since 2000: 721,000

Number of private-sector jobs lost since then: 2,692,000

Percentage of U.S. Muslims who said in 2000 that they would vote for George Bush: 40

Percentage who say this today: 2

Percentage change since 1999 in the number of desertions from the U.S. Army: +36

Average number of soldiers wounded in Iraq each day since the invasion began: 9.2

Average number killed: 1.6

Average number of Iraqi civilians killed by gunfire in Baghdad each day since last August: 17

Percentage of Iraq’s urban areas with access to potable water a year ago and today, respectively: 92, 60

Percentage change since 2001 in number of U.S. families in poverty: +6

Amount by which the number of U.S. deaths in 2000 from lack of medical insurance exceeded those from AIDS: 967