Ames Progressive

The number of years U.S. troops have occupied Iraq, as of March 20, 2008: 5
Total U.S. soldier death count in Operation Iraqi Freedom, as of March 23, 2008: 4000
(icasualties.org)

Total U.S. military spending on the Iraq war, in dollars, as of March 20, 2008: 504,461,000,000
Total U.S. military spending per day, in dollars, on the Iraq war: 341,400,000
Average dollar amount paid per household to fund the Iraq war: 4,681
Average dollar amount paid per person to fund the Iraq war: 1,721
(www.nationalpriorities.org)

Over 2 years, the percent of inflation of staple goods such as groceries, gasoline, and heath care: 9
Over 2 years, the percent of inflation of luxury goods such as restaurant meals, alcohol, new cars, furniture and clothing: 2.4
Over 2 years, the percent increase in wages for managerial workers: 5
(Democracy Now!, March 21, 2008)

The percent of the current U.S. inflation rate, as of March 14, 2008: 4.03
The number of years the U.S. economy has been in an inflation uptrend: 6
The number of years, previous to the current uptrend, that the U.S. economy had been in an inflation downtrend: 12
(inflationdata.com)

The average gasoline price per gallon in Iowa, as of March 21, 2008: 3.23
The average gasoline price per gallon in Iowa, as of March 21, 2007: 2.42
The average national gasoline price per gallon, as of March 21, 2008: 3.30
The average national gasoline price per gallon, as of March 21, 2007: 2.57
(zfacts.com)

The number of bicycles produced worldwide since January 2008: 24,067,000
(www.peterrussell.com/Odds/WorldClock.php?id=15123)