Vested Interest - Trends - January 2000 Issue

All the News that Fits

The Associated Press has announced its choices for the top news stories of 1999. In international news, the top stories are atrocities in Kosovo, prompting NATO bombing, President Clinton’s impeachment and subsequent acquittal, the Turkish earthquake, East Timor’s vote for independence, and the Russian offensive in Chechnya. Among domestic news, the top stories were the Clinton impeachment, the Columbine shootings, the bombing in Kosovo, Y2K, and the death of JFK, Jr. (AP, December 26, 1999)

The Poor Get Poorer

A survey by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, based on U.S. Census data, found that the number of children living in poverty declined, but those who remained in poverty were poorer. They concluded that in 1998 there were 10.2 million children living in families that qualified for federal poverty assistance. Factoring for federal assistance, the study found that poor families have fewer resources today than in years past. The study blames a decline in cash assistance payments. Between 1995 and 1998, the number of children receiving food stamp declined 27%. Cash assistance payments fell 36%. But many eligible families don’t know they’re eligible, and many are missing out on benefits to which they are qualified. (AP, December 23, 1999)

High as a Kite

Two recent polls measured opinions on air safety. ABC News.com asked 1,001 adults nationwide, “how would you rate the overall safety record of commercial airline travel?” A quarter (26%) said “excellent”, about half (49%) said “good”, and most of the rest (16%) said “only fair”. Fox News surveyed 900 voters nationwide, asking “which do you think is the greater threat to airline safety: terrorist attacks or poor maintenance?” A strong majority (78%) said poor maintenance, while 15% said terrorists, and 7% were not sure. (The Polling Report)

Hollywood Road Rage

The Texas Transportation Institute measured the time drivers spend stuck in traffic in major metro areas across the nation and found that drivers in L.A. have the longest periods of stopped traffic. The study found a correlation between economic improvement and worsening commutes: cities that went through a recession earlier this decade saw little change in their commuting times, while cities that have grown continuously this decade have seen the most increases in their drive times. L.A. drivers spend 82 hours each year stuck in traffic. Drivers in Washington, DC, came in second, at 76 hours sitting in traffic, followed by Seattle (69 hours), Atlanta (68 hours), and Boston (66 hours). The average of all 68 metro areas measured was 34 hours sitting in traffic each year. (AP, November 16, 1999)