Friday / Weekend Open Lines


The past few decades have seen a mounting number and frequency of public opinion polls, whether from the traditional Gallup and Harris firms to those commissioned by newspapers or political campaigns. The first such poll in U.S. history appeared this month in 1824 in the Harrisburg Pennsylvanian, finding that Andrew Jackson was favored over John Quincy Adams in the four-man presidential race. Ironically, that contest drew the lowest recorded participation in our history — less than 27 percent of voters bothered to cast a ballot. Although Jackson won the most popular and electoral college votes, he had a majority in neither, and the House of Representatives then elected Adams president. In 2012, nearly 133 million voters — 62 percent of those eligible — went to the polls to cast presidential ballots. Profile America is in its17th year as a Public Service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Saturday, July 26th. On this date 24 years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act became law. The goal was to guarantee equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public and commercial facilities, employment, transportation, and services at all levels of government. Nearly 57 million Americans have at least one disability. Some 12 million over the age of 15 need assistance with one or more activities of daily living, such as taking a shower or a bath. Over 8 million Americans over 15 have vision difficulties, and another 7.5 million have impaired hearing. There are 3.6 million Americans using wheelchairs, while another near 31 million have difficulty walking or climbing stairs. You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at <www.census.gov>.

Sunday, July 27th. This is Parents’ Day — an annual public observance similar to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, but not an official holiday. And because it dates only from 1994, not as well known. Its goal is to honor the men and women whose devotion to children strengthens families and society in general, whether they are actual parents or parental figures. Among the activities of the day, “Parents of the Year” will be recognized at local, state and national levels. As America changes demographically, the role of parents remains the same — to nurture children. Indicative of those demographic changes is the fact that just over half of the nation’s children younger than one year are minorities, as are nearly half of America’s children under the age of 5. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.