Tag: Jeff Bezos

The New 999: 9% of the 99% are Totally Screwed

Middle class suffers while billionaire dodges taxes and builds a spaceship that doesn’t fly with tax dollars




Graphic by Alex Karpati and Mark Szeltner

Based on three separate surveys of 1,202 individuals in 2009, 2010, 2011

In August 2009, researchers from Rutgers began following a nationally representative sample of unemployed Americans who lost their jobs during the recession of 2008.  

See the little stick figure guy standing on top?  He represents up to 700,000 Americans who have recovered from the recession according to data compiled over three years by the John Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.  

The poor smucks at the bottom who are either “devastated” or “totally wrecked” represent up to 3,600,000 American workers.

The survey explains in detailed demographics just who these little stick people are, and why they fit into their respective categories. While the bottom categories are aptly named, they might both be rolled into one category; “Totally Screwed.”