Georgia Matches Its 2000 Census Mail Participation Rates

/PRNewswire/ -- According to the latest 2010 Census mail participation rates released today, the state of Georgia has now matched the rate it had achieved during the 2000 Census - 69 percent. Georgia is one of 19 states, in addition to Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, that have met or surpassed their rates from the 2000 Census.

The Census Bureau will continue to post updates to the participation rate throughout the week as the last of the mailed-back forms are processed. After Friday, April 23, no rate updates will be posted until the final mail participation rate is calculated and announced at a news conference during the week of April 26.

The complete list of states that have reached this milestone follows:

-- Alabama
-- Delaware
-- Georgia
-- Florida
-- Hawaii
-- Illinois
-- Indiana
-- Kentucky
-- Maine
-- Minnesota
-- New York
-- North Carolina
-- Rhode Island
-- South Carolina
-- Tennessee
-- Utah
-- Vermont
-- Virginia
-- Washington

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Opinion: Wise on Carbon Tax

Wise: Carbon tax will cost each family $680

Stan Wise
Thursday, April 23, 2009

I recently testified before Congress because I believe the carbon cap and trade system and mandated renewable portfolio standards will disproportionately hurt ratepayers in Georgia, especially low-income households.

Americans will pay higher taxes under this administration, unless of course they do not......
http://savannahnow.com/node/711157

Stan Wise serves on the Georgia Public Service Commission.

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Slightly Lower Adult Smoking Rates

Fewer U.S. adults smoke, but cigarette smoking continues to impose substantial health and financial costs on society, according to new data from CDC.

An estimated 19.8 percent of U.S. adults (43.4 million people), were current smokers in 2007, down from 20.8 percent in 2006, according to a study in CDC′s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, released in advance of the Great American Smokeout. However, based on the current rate of decline, it is unlikely that the national health objective of reducing the prevalence of adult cigarette smoking to 12 percent or lower will be met by 2010.

Smoking causes at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths, including more than 80 percent of lung cancer deaths, and 80 percent of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Smoking is responsible for early cardiovascular disease and death. As a result, about half of all long-term smokers, particularly those who began smoking as teens, die prematurely, many in middle age.

“The good news, we continue to see fewer people smoking,” said Janet Collins, Ph.D., director of CDC′s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “The bad news is we need more people to quit. Quitting smoking is the most important step smokers can take to improve their health and protect the health of nonsmoking family members. Smokers should be aware that there are treatments and services available to help them quit now more than ever before. Smokers can more than double their likelihood of successfully quitting by using medications and telephone counseling.”

Another MMWR study released this week by CDC assessed the U.S. health consequences and productivity losses attributable to smoking.

National estimates of annual smoking deaths indicate that, during 2000–2004, cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke resulted in approximately 443,000 annual premature deaths, consistent with previous estimates.

In addition, during 2001–2004, average annual smoking-attributable health care expenditures were approximately $96 billion, compared to $75 billion in 1998. Accounting for direct health care expenditures and productivity losses ($97 billion), the total economic burden of smoking is approximately $193 billion per year.

November 20, 2008, marks the American Cancer Society′s 32nd Great American Smokeout. The event encourages smokers to quit for at least one day in the hope that this might help them to stop using tobacco permanently. The Smokeout also draws attention to the many proven ways to encourage people to stop smoking. These include making it more affordable for people to use medical treatments, establishing smoke-free environments in homes, workplaces and restaurants, increasing the price of cigarettes, and mass media campaigns to inform and help motivate tobacco users to quit.

“If we want to see far more people quit smoking, we need expanded access to stop smoking programs, continued progress in eliminating secondhand smoke exposure and ongoing investment in programs that work,” said Matthew McKenna, M.D., M.P.H., director, CDC′s Office on Smoking and Health. “If, starting in 2009, all states were to fully implement tobacco control programs at CDC-recommended levels of investment, an estimated five million fewer people in this country would smoke within five years, and hundreds of thousands of premature tobacco-related deaths would be prevented each year.”

Tobacco users who want help in quitting can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) (TTY 1-800-332-8615) for free telephone-based counseling anywhere in the United States or visit http://1800quitnow.cancer.gov for quitting assistance. Information about the Great American Smokeout is available at http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ped/ped_10_4.asp.

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U.S. Suicide Rate Increases

The rate of suicide in the United States is increased for the first time in a decade, according to a new report from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Injury Research and Policy. The increase in the overall suicide rate between 1999 and 2005 was due primarily to an increase in suicides among whites aged 40-64, with white middle-aged women experiencing the largest annual increase.

Whereas the overall suicide rate rose 0.7 percent during this time period, the rate among middle-aged white men rose 2.7 percent annually and 3.9 percent among middle-aged women. By contrast, suicide in blacks decreased significantly over the study’s time period, and remained stable among Asian and Native Americans. The results are published online at the website of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and will be published in the December print edition of the journal.

The researchers also conducted a detailed analysis of suicide methods across specific population groups. While firearms remain the predominant method, the rate of firearm suicides decreased during the study period. Suicide by hanging or suffocation increased markedly with a 6.3 percent annual increase among men, and a 2.3 percent annual increase among women.

Hanging/suffocation accounted for 22 percent of all suicides by 2005, surpassing poisoning at 18 percent.

“The results underscore a change in the epidemiology of suicide, with middle-aged whites emerging as a new high-risk group,” said study co-author Susan P. Baker, MPH, a professor with the Bloomberg School’s Center for Injury Research and Policy. “Historically, suicide prevention programs have focused on groups considered to be at highest risk—teens and young adults of both genders as well as elderly white men. This research tells us we need to refocus our resources to develop prevention programs for men and women in their middle years.”

Baker along with colleagues Guoqing Hu, PhD, Holly Wilcox, PhD, Lawrence Wissow, MD, MPH, analyzed data from the Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) mortality reports, which provides data on deaths according to cause and intent of injury by age, race, gender and state. WISQARS mortality data are based on annual data files of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The reasons for the increase in the suicide rate are not fully understood. “While it would be straightforward to attribute the results to a rise in so-called mid-life crises, recent studies find that middle age is mostly a time of relative security and emotional wellbeing,” said Baker. “Further research is warranted to explore societal changes that may be disproportionably affecting the middle-aged in this country.”

The research was funded by the Center for Injury Research and Policy.

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Mortgage Rates Take Off After Volatile Week in Stock Market; Rates in Some States Increase by 10%

Average Georgia 30 year fixed rates increased 7.8% to 6.29%.

PRNewswire/ -- Mortgage rates surged last week, with rates for 30-year fixed mortgages increasing to 6.36 percent, up from 5.95 percent the week prior, according to the Zillow Mortgage Rate Monitor, compiled by leading real estate Web site Zillow.com(R). Mortgage rates for 15-year fixed rose to 6 percent, up from 5.65 percent and 5-1 adjustable rate mortgages increased to 5.69 percent from 5.68 percent.

Mortgage Type Average Rate Average Rate % Change
Week ending 10/19/08 Week ending 10/12/08
30-year fixed 6.36% 5.95% 6.9%
15-year fixed 6.00% 5.65% 6.1%
5-1 ARM 5.69% 5.68% 0.1%

Rates for 30-year fixed mortgages appeared to be dipping again on Monday evening, however, with the average rate on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace at 5.97 percent.

At a state level, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate in North Carolina saw the most significant increase from 5.79 percent to 6.38 percent. Rates on 30-year fixed mortgages were lowest in the states of Colorado (6.24%) and Oregon (6.25%), while Connecticut (6.49%) and Maryland (6.45%) had the highest rates.

The Zillow Mortgage Rate Monitor is compiled each week using thousands of mortgage rates quoted on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace (www.zillow.com/mortgage) by mortgage lenders to borrowers who have submitted loan requests. State-level data is gathered for the top 20 states with the highest quote volume on Zillow.

Zillow Mortgage Marketplace is an open and transparent lending marketplace, providing borrowers an anonymous and hassle-free way to receive an unlimited number of customized mortgage quotes directly from confirmed lenders.

For more detailed rate charts and data, as well as choices of mortgage calculator, please visit www.zillow.com/mortgage.

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CDC Releases New Infant Mortality Data

The United States ranked 29th in the world in infant mortality in 2004, compared to 27th in 2000, 23rd in 1990 and 12th in 1960, according to a new report from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs).

The U.S. infant mortality rate was 6.78 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2004, the latest year that data are available for all countries. Infant mortality rates were generally lowest (below 3.5 per 1,000) in selected Scandinavian (Sweden, Norway, Finland) and East Asian (Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore) countries. Twenty-two countries had infant mortality rates below 5.0 in 2004.

The findings are published in a new Data Brief "Recent Trends in Infant Mortality in the United States." The data come from the Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set and Preliminary Mortality Data File, collected through the National Vital Statistics System.

The report shows the U.S. infant mortality rate did not decline from 2000 to 2005. However, preliminary data for 2006 show a significant 2 percent decline between 2005 and 2006. Other findings include:

-- The current U.S. infant mortality rate is about 50 percent higher than
the national goal of 4.5 infant deaths per 1,000 births.
-- The infant mortality rate for non-Hispanic black women was 2.4 times
the rate for non-Hispanic white women. In 2005, the infant mortality
rate for non-Hispanic black women was 13.63 infant deaths per 1,000
live births, compared to a rate of 5.76 for non-Hispanic white women.
Rates were also higher for Puerto Rican and American Indian women,
8.30 and 8.06 respectively.
-- Increases in preterm birth and preterm-related infant mortality
account for much of the lack of decline in the United States' infant
mortality rate from 2000 to 2005.

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News to Use in Fayetteville, Atlanta, Columbus, Peachtree City and all of Georgia

Bankrate: Mortgage Rates Remain Volatile

PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mortgage rates fell this week, with the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropping to 6.2 percent. According to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey, the average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.4 discount and origination points.

The average 15-year fixed rate mortgage popular for refinancing retreated to 5.95 percent, while the average jumbo 30-year fixed rate was down slightly to 7.61 percent. Adjustable mortgage rates were sharply lower, with the average 1-year ARM down to 5.89 percent and the average 5/1 ARM pulling back to 6.21 percent.

Mortgage rates continue to be volatile, yo-yoing up and down from one day to the next. Heightened economic worries pushed mortgage rates lower versus last week, but the continued twists and turns of the credit crunch are certain to produce more volatility in mortgage rates. Although mortgage rates are pegged to long-term Treasury yields, the spread above risk-free Treasury yields is ever-changing as credit worries prevail. The movement of fixed mortgage rates is not directly influenced by the Federal Reserve's cut to short-term interest rates.

This year has been a wild ride for mortgage rates, with a low in January of 5.57 percent and a high of 6.77 percent in July. At today's rate of 6.20 percent, a $200,000 loan carries a monthly payment of $1,224.94.

SURVEY RESULTS

30-year fixed: 6.20% -- down from 6.41% last week (avg. points: 0.4)
15-year fixed: 5.95% -- down from 6.14% last week (avg. points: 0.44)
5/1 ARM: 6.21% -- down from 6.49% last week (avg. points: 0.36)



Bankrate's national weekly mortgage survey is conducted each Wednesday from data provided by the top 10 banks and thrifts in the top 10 markets.

For a full analysis of this week's move in mortgage rates, go to http://www.bankrate.com/mortgagerates

The survey is complemented by Bankrate's weekly forward-looking Rate Trend Index, in which a panel of mortgage experts predicts which way the rates are headed over the next 30 to 45 days. More than half of respondents, 53 percent, expect rates to retreat further in the coming weeks. However, 41 percent predict a rebound in mortgage rates, while just 6 percent forecast that mortgage rates will remain more or less unchanged in the next 30 to 45 days.

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