1723 Hold Up

A couple of stories dealing with hold up numbers in the news recently, having to do with driving and the economy.
First the hold up in the economy. $288 billion in new income was created in the course of 2010. 2010 was, as you may remember, a year in which unemployment was quite high, although we had supposedly turned the corner on the Great Recession. Of that remarkable $288 billion, 93% was reaped by the top 1% of U.S. Taxpayers. Must be falling off the pace--isn't it usually 95%?
Those wealthy taxpayers saw their average income increase by 11.6 %. But they didn't get it all. The remaining 99% of taxpayers received an average of $80 more a year. Just enough to afford an extra loaf of bread after they got their tickets to the circus.
Or was that a down payment on a new iPhone?
The wealthiest would counter that they are the drivers of the economy so they're entitled to reap the benefits, and that may be true. I'm just suggesting maybe such a conspicuous difference in income may lead to trouble down the road.
Which brings me to the other numbers. Turns out the Driver Safety organizations are suggesting that the old hand positions of 10 and 2 are no longer optimal for driving safety. This is partly because of smaller steering wheels and better power steering. And partly because of the loaded airbag bombs ready to explode in the center of your steering wheel and break your 10 and 2 arms.
The new suggestion is 9 and 3. Which is great, as it turns out. With your left hand on 9 it's much easier to hold up your new iPhone at eye level while lifting your right hand from 3 to text with.
America ya gotta love it.