?? 1904 ??

   I was recently e-mailed a list of “you won’t believe this” facts about the year 1904 for my amusement. It appeared to be a “chain-mail”, so I am sure some of you already received it. I read over the facts and found many to be mind-boggling at first. Then as I read on, I came to realize something that our parents and grandparents have been telling us for years. “We have it made in today’s world.” I won’t go into the whole email, but a few of the facts that surprised me were;


1. Average life expectancy was 47 years old

(The current expectancy is almost 67 years)

   Through modern medicine we have reaped the benefits of extended life and are around to enjoy the “fruits” of our labor. Our great-grandparents weren’t around long enough to have SSI benefits. They never had a “light at the end of the tunnel” that we take for granted. They instead worked their ENTIRE life. How lucky are we that we get to watch our children AND grandchildren grow and mature. It seems that we all too often take little things like this for granted

2. The average worker made between $200 and $400 dollars a year

(The average yearly household income in 2000 was $59,316)

3. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen

(Eggs are approximately 1.34 a dozen)

   As far as annual earnings go, a salary of $59,316 is approximately 148 times higher than the $400 income of 1904. If we use that same formula for the price of eggs during 1904, the cost now should be $20.72. Sounds crazy? Maybe you take the technology that allows egg prices to stay low for granted. I know that inflation seems out of control, but salaries have more than kept up with the cost of MANY common items. This is by no means meant to “validate” inflation, but rather meant as an eye-opener to how much worse our financial strains could be.

4. Only 6% of all Americans had a High School Diploma

(85% now have a High School Education)

   How many of us ridicule others that have trouble reading or writing? This is not something that is to be taken for granted. Our schools are constantly being demeaned for their poor teaching, but we now have 79% more people being educated at “some” level of competency. Thanks again to technology; we are allowed the privilege to work at jobs that are not as physically demanding as our forefathers. We can read for ourselves and make informed, educated decisions about our daily lives. What a powerful and awesome thing to take for granted; the ability to read.

5. Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering their country for ANY reason

(Can you imagine our country passing a law of this magnitude?).

   What the hell is up with Canada passing laws stopping the poor from entering? They don't seem to mind the protection of living next to The Most Powerful Country on the planet. I have, as many of my friends know, a total lack of respect for Canada in general. The only reason I don’t have them at the top of my “Free Nation Most Hated List” is because France is still around. I think they would turn off the lights and shut the whole country down if it weren’t for the fact they make Crown Royal Whiskey. The only reason some fourth rate country like Somalia doesn’t invade them is because we are next door. Because of my distaste for this country, and 99% of all interaction I have had with the citizens I have had the misfortune of meeting, I am going to chock this “fact’ up as “internet folklore”; as I have not been able to validate it as of yet. I will search to the ends of Al Gore’s internet to seek a validation for this statement and be back with a heavy handed blog for those undeserving, yellow-bellied, French speaking Canucks.