In 2009, the federal government devoted almost four times the amount of budgetary resources to supporting home-ownership (about $230 billion) as it devoted to improving rental affordability ($60 billion).

Source: Congressional Budget Office, An Overview of Federal Support for Housing, Nov. 3, 2009. http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/105xx/doc10525/HousingPrograms.1.1.shtml

States that enacted anti-predatory lending laws had lower foreclosure rates and less risky mortgage loans than states without such laws.

Source: University of North Carolina Center for Community Capital, State Anti-Predatory Lending Laws: Impacts and Federal Preemption, October 5, 2009. http://www.ccc.unc.edu/news/AG_study_release_5%5B2%5D.10.2009.pdf

1 in 136 – housing units in the U.S. subject to foreclosure in the 3^rd Quarter of 2009 (highest in history of RealtyTrac tracking)

1 in 122 – number in Michigan

1 in 23 – number in Nevada (highest in U.S.)

1 in 5,023 – number in Vermont (lowest in U.S.)

5.4/9.5 – percentage increase since 2Q 2009 in U.S./Michigan

22.5/22.31 – percentage increase since 3Q 2008 in U.S./Michigan

Source: RealtyTrac, http://www.realtytrac.com/foreclosure/foreclosure-rates.html

$48,606 – median household income in Michigan (2008)

$52,029 – median household income in the U.S.

$70,482 – median household income in Maryland (highest in U.S.)

$37,528 – median household income in West Virginia (lowest in U.S.)

30^th – Michigan’s rank among the state in median household income

16^th – Michigan’s rank in 1999

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/income.html

$116,170 -- average wage/salary for a lawyer in Michigan (2008)

Source: Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth, http://www.milmi.org/cgi/dataanalysis/oesWageReport.asp?menuchoice=OESWAGE

15.3 – unemployment rate in Michigan (September)

8.9 – rate in September 2008

9.8 – rate in U.S.

6.2 – rate in September 2008

Source: U.S. Dept of Labor, http://www.bls.gov/xg_shells/ro5xg02.htm#rate

437 Billion – projected dollar amount of state and local government budget shortfall nationwide in fiscal years 2010 and 2011

106 Billion – value in dollars of relief to state and local government from the federal stimulus package (ARRA)

$1.41 – amount of lost economic activity attributable to each dollar of spending reduction by state and local government

Source: Economic Policy Institute, http://www.epi.org/economic_snapshots/entry/snapshot_20091118/