what you need to know about the economy

This article is totally fascinating and terrifying. Some key points:

#1 Do you remember how much was made of the "Misery Index" during the presidency of Jimmy Carter? At that time, the "Misery Index" was constantly making headlines in newspapers all across the country. Well, according to John Williams of Shadow Government Statistics, if we calculated unemployment and inflation the same way that we did back during the Carter administration, then the Misery Index today would actually be higher than at any point during the presidency of Jimmy Carter.

#16 Most Americans don't realize how much the U.S. dollar has been devalued over the years. An item that cost $20.00 in 1970 would cost you $115.93 today. An item that cost $20.00 in 1913 would cost you $454.36 today.

#21 Speaking of J.P. Morgan, most Americans don't realize that they are actually the largest processor of food stamp benefits in the United States. In fact, the more Americans that go on food stamps the more money that J.P. Morgan makes.

#37 The cost of college tuition in the United States has gone up by over 900 percent since 1978.

#45 U.S. households are now receiving more income from the U.S. government than they are paying to the government in taxes.

#50 The percentage of millionaires in Congress is more than 50 times higher than the percentage of millionaires in the general population.

Read the whole thing; it's worth it.