Are You Better Off Today?
The U.S. presidential debates were more affable in 1980, the questions less pointed, the rhetoric more nuanced. I don't remember turning off the television and wondering which candidate had taken an antidepressant and which one had forgotten to. But more than two decades later, a question that Ronald Reagan asked then-President Jimmy Carter in his closing statement remains the standard by which incumbent presidents are judged: "Are you better off today than you were four years ago?"

Carter could not have answered for the nation in the affirmative. Unemployment rates went up during his years in the White House. Prices rose too, as did the inflation rate. Our sense of security, however, was eroded--52 U.S. hostages had been held in Iran for more than a year. Carter was a good, well-intentioned leader, and the external factors that contributed to our nation's situation were not entirely of his making. Still, Reagan's question was effective because few could conclude that they were better off in 1980 than they were in 1976.

What about today? You be the judge. Are you better off today than you were four years ago?

Here are some economic facts to take to the polls with you.

Jobs: How Many Are Actually Working?
When George W. Bush took office in January 2001, the overall unemployment rate was 4.2 percent; the Black unemployment rate was 8.4 percent. Since then the overall rate has risen to 5.4 percent, and the Black unemployment rate has risen to 10.3 percent.

Those statistics tell only part of the story because they count only people who are actually looking for work. Fewer people are working--there are more than a million fewer jobs now than there were four years ago. But so many people are discouraged about work that they've stopped looking for it, which means that proportionally fewer people are even participating in the labor market.

Among American men, there is a huge gap in the employment population ratio--or the percentage of the population with a job--between African-Americans, at 63 percent, and Whites, at 72.6 percent. (The employment population ratio for Black and White women is similar: 58.7 percent for Black women and 57 percent for White women.) The gap between men is higher in some places. In New York City, just 51 percent of Black men hold jobs. Imagine how you would react if you learned that only half of all White men had jobs!

Income: How Many Live in Poverty Now?
The median income of African-American households fell slightly between 2002 and 2003 to $29,600, and a million more Americans entered poverty during this last year. All told, one in eight Americans lives in poverty, defined as an income of $9,600 for an individual and $18,700 for a family of four. Twice as many African-Americans as Whites live in poverty.

Poverty rates fell between 1996 and 2000, during the Clinton years, but began to rise again in 2001. One in four Black men, and one in three Black women, earn wages that place them below the poverty line. Often, survival for African-American families depends on combining two low-income salaries.

Even where salaries are adequate, the terms and conditions of work have worsened in the last four years, with 1.4 million more people lacking health insurance than a year ago, and a minority of Americans (47 percent of Whites, 40 percent of African-Americans, and 25 percent of Latinos) earning pensions through their places of employment.

Taxes: Who Is Benefiting From the Cuts?
The Bush administration says that its tax cuts have improved the quality of life for millions of Americans. An August study from the Congressional Budget Office indicates that most of the benefits of the tax cuts went to families that had more than $200,000 a year in income. Those with more modest incomes realized a three-figure tax cut, depending on their income bracket.

Yet most tax cuts were offset by increases in state and local taxes, plus higher costs associated with the eroding of state and local government-provided services. For example, tuition at state universities, usually affordable, has risen by double digits in more than 20 states over the past two years.

Education: Who Is Paying for It?
Another cornerstone of Bush "progress" is the No Child Left Behind legislation , which is designed to improve school quality, end social promotions, and get every child an adequate education. The problem with No Child Left Behind (I call it, "Let every child kiss my behind") is that reforms are mandated, but no money is provided to pay for them, putting a large financial burden on states. More than a dozen Republican governors have challenged their president about this legislation, calling it an unfunded mandate.

Are you better off than you were four years ago? I've focused on the economy in concluding that most African-Americans are worse off than they were in 2000. A focus on the environment, the status of civil rights, or even international security yields the same conclusions, from my perspective. But the economic reality is especially clear. Take that to the polls.