MV, we are digressing slightly and I am a bit pre occupied right now. But, the figure of typical annual figure of murders by handguns in the US is Australia 13, UK 33, Sweden 36, USA 13,220. When adjusted for population, the UK's is less then 10% of the US's. I am quoting right now from the Oxford Handbook for Medicine. I am trying to find the original source, but like I said I am quite too busy to elaborate on the subject. I do accept since the Anti Crime funding of your previous Administration there has been significant improvement in combating crime. The issue which I pointed out was the violence of the society.
As for additional points on my "unsubstantiated facts". The figures on poverty are available from the CIA online factbook Country profiles, we are in fact both wrong, the figure is 13% according to 2001 estimates, I would imagine with the decline of the economy that figure would rise. Decline in employment in the US could probably be attributed to the bursting of the IT Bubble. The US economy is definitely more dynamic then most European Countries, with the exception of Germany and Britain, Germany has taken a major hit because of the sheer cost of rebuilding East Germany.