U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood: Overall Traffic Fatalities Reach Record Low
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation

The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that the number of overall traffic fatalities reported in 2008 hit their lowest level since 1961 and that fatalities in the first three months of 2009 continue to decrease. The fatality rate, which accounts for variables like fewer miles traveled, also reached the lowest level ever recorded.

The fatality data for 2008 placed the highway death count at 37,261, a drop of 9.7 percent from 2007. The fatality rate for 2008 was 1.27 persons per 100 million VMT, about 7 percent below the rate of 1.36 recorded for 2007.

Substantial declines occurred in virtually every major category, led by declines in passenger car occupant fatalities which dropped for the sixth year in a row, reaching the lowest level since DOT began keeping records. Light truck occupant fatalities fell for the third straight year. Alcohol-impaired fatalities also declined by more than 9 percent over 2007.

Continuing this trend, the January-March 2009 estimate of 7,689 deaths represents a nine percent decline from a year ago. It was the twelfth consecutive quarterly decline. The fatality rate for the first quarter of 2009 reached 1.12 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Preliminary data collected by the Federal Highway Administration showed that vehicle miles traveled (VMT) during the first three months of 2009 declined by about 11.7 billion miles.

The 2008 annual statistics did report, however, that motorcycle deaths increased for the 11th straight year and now account for 14 percent of all highway fatalities.

+ 2008 fatality figures, including a state-by state rundown (PDF; 209 KB)
+ More detailed individual state data
+ Preliminary 2009 first quarter estimates (PDF; 182 KB)

2009 Waterfowl Survey Indicates Increase in Many Duck Species
Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The preliminary estimate of total ducks from the 2009 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey was 42 million, which is 13 percent greater than last year’s estimate and 25 percent greater than the 1955-2008 average, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today.

The Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey samples more than two million square miles of waterfowl habitat across the north-central and northeastern United States, south-central, eastern, and northern Canada, and Alaska. The survey estimates the number of ducks on the continent’s primary nesting grounds.

Overall, habitat conditions for breeding waterfowl in 2009 were better than conditions in 2008. The total pond estimate (Prairie Canada and United States combined) was 6.4 million. This was 45 percent above last year’s estimate of 4.4 million ponds and 31 percent above the long-term average of 4.9 million ponds.

+ Trends in Duck Breeding Populations, 1955-2009 (PDF; 2.1 MB)

Crop Protection (PDF; 126 KB)
Source: Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

The pesticide approvals process in Europe is changing. Consequently, a number of compounds used to protect European crops from weeds, pests and disease may no longer be available. Proponents believe this will benefit health and the environment; others fear significant decreases in crop yield and quality. This POSTnote explores the potential implications for UK agriculture and horticulture and examines other crop protection strategies available that complement or compensate for pesticides.

Treatments for Heroin and Cocaine Dependency (PDF; 110 KB)
Source: Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

Some 11.3 million people in Britain have used an illicit drug at least once in their lifetime. Cocaine and heroin are the most damaging illicit drugs in terms of health impacts to dependent individuals and the cost of drug related crime. This POSTnote looks at the treatments currently available for heroin and cocaine dependency, assesses the prospects for new treatments, and examines the issues these raise.

Environmental Noise (PDF: 112 KB)
Source: Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

Noise pollution affects quality of life and has been linked to health problems. The EU Environmental Noise Directive (END) aims to manage noise and preserve quiet areas by engaging the public, local authorities and operators. This POSTnote examines the effects of noise, the END and practical measures for noise management.

Down from the Mountain: Skill Upgrading and Wages in Appalachia (PDF; 1.1 MB)
Source: Institute for the Study of Labor

Despite evidence that skilled labor is increasingly concentrated in cities, whether regional wage inequality is predominantly due to differences in skill levels or returns is unknown. We compare Appalachia, with its wide mix of urban and rural areas, to other parts of the U.S., and find that gaps in both skill levels and returns account for the lack of high wage male workers. For women, skill shortages are important across the distribution. Because rural wage gaps are insignificant, our results suggest that widening wage inequality between Appalachia and the rest of the U.S. owes to a shortage of skilled cities.

Why does the US dominate university league tables? (PDF; 353 KB)
Source: University of Queensland, School of Economics Discussion Papers (AU)

According to Academic Ranking of World Universities, the world’s top 500 universities are owned by only 38 countries, with the US alone having 157 of them. This paper investigates the socioeconomic determinants of the wide performance gap between countries and whether the US’s dominance in the league table is largely due to its economic power or something else. It is found that a large amount of cross country variation in university performance can be explained by just four socioeconomic factors: income, population size, R&D spending, and the national language. It is also found that conditional on the resources that it has, the US is actually underperforming by about 4 to 10 percent.

Race and the Likelihood of Managing in Major League Baseball (PDF; 208 KB)
Source: University of Connecticut, Department of Economics Working Paper Series

The effects of race on the probability of former Major League Baseball players becoming managers are analyzed using probit models with sample selection correction. The models are estimated using data on the performance and personal characteristics of players from 1955 to 2007. It is shown that given the same performance, personal characteristics, and popularity black former players are 70 to 82 percent less likely to become Major League managers than white former players. It is also shown that being Hispanic does not have a significant effect on the probability of becoming a manager. Additionally, it is observed that catchers and shortstops who are popular but not necessarily good players are most likely to become managers.

Who are the Uninsured? An Analysis of America’s Uninsured Population, Their Characteristics and Their Health
Source: Employment Policies Institute

This study attempts to increase knowledge in the field of health policy by examining some of the characteristics of those without health insurance. The authors calculate the percentage of uninsured Americans that could likely afford health coverage. Drs. June and David O’Neill of the Baruch College, City University of New York use data from a number of surveys to determine what percentage of the nearly 47 million uninsured Americans lack health insurance because they are likely unable to afford it—classifying them as “involuntarily” uninsured. They find that at least 43 percent of Americans in the 18–64 year-old age group have incomes at or above 2.5 times the poverty line, indicating they likely have the means to obtain healthcare coverage and thus may be classified as “voluntarily” uninsured.

+ Full Report (PDF; 9.5 MB)

Agencies Publish Final Rules and Guidelines to Promote Accurate Reports About Consumers
Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

The federal financial regulatory agencies and the Federal Trade Commission yesterday published final rules and guidelines to promote the accuracy and integrity of information furnished to credit bureaus and other consumer reporting agencies, and widely used to determine consumers’ eligibility for credit, employment, insurance, and rental housing.

As required by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Trade Commission, National Credit Union Administration, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and Office of Thrift Supervision are publishing these final rules and guidelines, with an effective date of July 1, 2010.

Under the rules, entities that furnish information about consumers to consumer reporting agencies generally must include a consumer’s credit limit in the information provided. The federal agencies are also publishing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) to identify possible additions to the information that furnishers must provide to consumer reporting agencies, such as the account opening date.

Also, under the rules, if a consumer believes his or her credit report includes inaccurate information, the consumer may submit a dispute directly to the entity that provided the information to the consumer reporting agency, and that entity must investigate the dispute. The rules do not change a consumer’s ability to submit a dispute to a consumer reporting agency or a furnisher’s duty to investigate a dispute referred by a reporting agency.

+ Guidelines for Furnishers of Information to Consumer Reporting Agencies (PDF; 55 KB)
+ Procedures To Enhance the Accuracy and Integrity of Information Furnished to Consumer Reporting Agencies Under Section 312 of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act; Final Rule; Guidelines for Furnishers of Information to Consumer Reporting Agencies; Proposed Rule (PDF; 282 KB)

E-ZTax : Tax Salience and Tax Rates (PDF; 267 KB)
Source: Quarterly Journal of Economics, forthcoming

See: Electronic Tolls Trump Cash on the Highways (WSJ)

Building Britain’s Future
Source: Cabinet Office
From News release:

The Prime Minister has today published a plan for Building Britain’s Future.

It is a radical vision for a fairer, stronger and more prosperous society.

Public service entitlements will for the first time be guaranteed to parents, patients and communities.

New measures will also drive economic growth and create jobs….

• We will not lose another generation to work. Every young person who has been out of work for a year will have to take a job, training or work experience place.
• A new, more active industrial policy to drive growth and create the high value jobs of the future. We will establish a new #150 million Innovation Fund which will lever up to #1 billion of private sector funding.
• By switching spending priorities, we will target investment worth #1.5bn over the next 2 years to deliver 20,000 new affordable homes, creating 45,000 jobs in the construction and related sectors.
• Patients will get enforceable entitlements to the highest standards of health care, including hospital treatment within 18 weeks, access to a cancer specialist within 2 weeks and free health-checks on the NHS for people aged 40-74.
• Parents will be guaranteed an education individually tailored to their child, including a personal tutor for every pupil at secondary school, with catch up and one to one tuition for all those who need it.
• We will give local people more power to keep their neighbourhoods safe, including the right to hold the police to account at monthly beat meetings, to have a say on CCTV and a vote on how offenders pay back the community.
• We will work with the British people to deliver a radical programme of democratic and constitutional reform. We now plan to legislate in the 2009/10 session for further reform of the House of Lords, including completing the process of removing the hereditary principle. And we will now bring forward a draft bill for a smaller and democratically constituted second chamber.

+ Strategy Document (PDF; 811 KB)

+ Document Summary (PDF; 180.3 KB)

+ Draft Legislative Programme (PDF; 71.1 KB)

A Good Time for Making Work Pay? Taking Stock of In-Work Benefits and Related Measures across the OECD (PDF; 1.2 MB)
Source: Institute for the Study of Labor

The twin problem of in-work poverty and persistent labour market difficulties of low-skilled individuals has been one of the most important drivers of tax-benefit policy reforms in OECD countries in recent years. Employment-conditional cash transfers to individuals facing particular labour-market challenges have been a core element of “make-work-pay” policies for some time and are now in use in more than half of the OECD countries. They are attractive because they redistribute to low-income groups while also creating additional work incentives. But like all social benefits, they have to be financed, which creates additional economic costs for some. This paper discusses the rationale for in-work benefits (IWB), summarises the main design features of programmes operated in OECD countries, and provides an update of what is known about their effectiveness in terms of reducing inequalities and creating employment. As policies aiming to promote self-sufficiency, wage subsidies and minimum wages share a number of the objectives associated with IWB measures. We review evidence on the effectiveness of minimum wages and wage subsidies and discuss links between these policies and IWBs. Finally, we outline some potential consequences of weakening labour markets for the effectiveness of make-work-pay policies.

Terror from the Right
Source: Southern Poverty Law Center

What follows is a detailed listing of major terrorist plots and racist rampages that have emerged from the American radical right in the years since Oklahoma City. These have included plans to bomb government buildings, banks, refineries, utilities, clinics, synagogues, mosques, memorials and bridges; to assassinate police officers, judges, politicians, civil rights figures and others; to rob banks, armored cars and other criminals; and to amass illegal machine guns, missiles, explosives and biological and chemical weapons. Each of these plots aimed to make changes in America through the use of political violence. Most contemplated the deaths of large numbers of people — in one case, as many as 30,000, or 10 times the number murdered on Sept. 11, 2001.

Here are the stories of plots, conspiracies and racist rampages since 1995 — plots and violence waged against a democratic America.

Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service

U.S. farmers have adopted genetically engineered (GE) crops widely since their introduction in 1996, notwithstanding uncertainty about consumer acceptance and economic and environmental impacts. Soybeans and cotton genetically engineered with herbicide-tolerant traits have been the most widely and rapidly adopted GE crops in the U.S., followed by insect-resistant cotton and corn. This data product summarizes the extent of adoption of herbicide-tolerant and insect–resistant crops since their introduction in 1996. Three tables devoted to corn, cotton, and soybeans cover the 2000-09 period by State.