Areas with a larger personal income can support more stores. A higher level of per capita income can support luxury-type stores.

The basic items included are wages and salaries, but we also count Social Security benefits and dividends and interest income. We also include earnings from the self-employed, health care benefits and contributions to retirement accounts.

They (gays and lesbians) not only have greater discretionary income, which can be used for luxury items like cars … But they have much more disposable time, time for travel and entertainment.

They're isolated from normal sources of support, struggling, seeing a good portion of their income go to rent. Their private lives get put on the back burner.

That is neither particularly bad nor is it particularly good.

Hurricane Katrina was the largest disaster in U.S. history. It also occurred in a much-smaller state than Florida is.