What would you do with a trillion?
 

To burn through that much money, a person would have to spend over $35 million a day, for life.

March 16, 2006: 1:21 PM EST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For those who struggle to balance their checkbooks every month, it might be difficult to comprehend Thursday's vote by the U.S. Senate to raise the government debt limit to nearly $9 trillion.

After all, how much is a trillion?

It's the number one followed by 12 zeros. But that doesn't explain how the federal government could need to pass a law enabling it to borrow up to $8.965 trillion.

"It's hard to understand what a trillion is. I don't know what it is," confessed Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican, this week when debating the government's staggering fiscal obligations.

It doesn't help that the standard hand-held calculator comes nowhere close to computing numbers in the trillions. About the best it can do is 99,999,999.

John Nolan, a mathematics professor at American University in Washington, said that a trillion is "not a big number at all" for some theoretical problems. "But in terms of practical numbers it's just overwhelming."

So he conjured up a spending spree, something Americans might be able to relate to. "If you spent a million dollars a day for a million days (2,739 years)," you'd hit $1 trillion, Nolan observed.

To burn through $1 trillion in the average American life span of 77 years, you'd have to part with about $35,580,857 and change every day from birth.

Don Albers, associate executive director of the Mathematical Association of America, said to forget about all the fancy numbers. "I don't think the problem so much is understanding that number as just understanding whether they've got more money coming in than is going out," he said.

And that's the rub. The federal government has been on a spending binge. Just since 2002, the Republican-controlled Congress has had to hike the Treasury Department's credit card limit four times, for a total of more than $3 trillion.

Congress can take some comfort in knowing that at this rate, it will take a very long time to exhaust the trillions and spill into the quadrillions. "Let's hope that they won't be using that" number ever, Albers said.

As long as I can tell my fat catcher friend this time, I'm up for it :)

MONTY FOR MAYOR!

That's insane. :(

Crazy! I wonder what ours is.. I will see if I can find out.

1 trillion? I'd buy L-O-R & this board :D

Australia's net foreign debt is $473 billion. Thats a lot considering the population difference.

They're expecting that by the time Dubya leaves our debt will be 10 Trillion or about 50% of the GDP.

Basically he's spending 25% more then he's taking in and for some reason 38% of the country still thinks he's doing something worthy. Of course when he leaves 15% of all tax dollars will be used to pay interest so he's putting the next admin in a pretty bad spot

Clearly I'm not an economist, but I don't understand why the biggest and strongest economy in the world needs to borrow so much money.

to be honest with you, I'd start my own country in the middle of the pacific.:D

Well for 250 billion you can take over 2 countries and control thier resources. Of course it cost about 80 billion a year to maintain control of those countries but why start your own when you can just take over someone elses?

Am I the only one who immediately thought of the movie Office Space?

Peter Gibbons: What would you do if you had a million dollars?

Lawrence: I'll tell you what I'd do, man, two chicks at the same time, man.

Peter Gibbons: That's it? If you had a million dollars, you'd do two chicks at the same time?

Lawrence: Damn straight. I always wanted to do that, man. And I think if I had a million dollars I could hook that up, cause chicks dig a dude with money.

Peter Gibbons: Well, not all chicks.

Lawrence: Well the kind of chicks that'd double up on a dude like me do.

I'd buy Jamaica and make it haven for Pornographers. think of the content sets..

|boobies|

I would buy houses. Lots of them all over the dam world and then travel to them. When I got tired of that I could honestly say I would give a shit load of it away and I would pay for my "quit smoking, get cancer" research and then pay the NY Times to publish them daily along with the TV news station I would buy. Our slogan, (News for Smokers, cause we don't give a fuck.)

Just to give you an idea on how much money it is to Americans - if for some reason the debt got called in by the foreign countries that hold most of that debt (like Saudi Arabia etc), then each person in this country would have to chip in $30,000 to cover it - and I guarantee thats exactly how the debt would be paid as its already in the tax code to pay it off that way if it were to ever happen - the IRS would be happy to get it from you.

BTW - for you couples and parents - thats each of you at $30k

Nice add on Linkster, I meant to add that after the other post but got side tracked.

Remember also that all of that increase is due to fighting in Iraq - the cost so far not counting the brave 1000s of Americans that wont live past their 21st birthday - $320 bill - and if you adjust that out over around 10 years that about covers this increase.

6 years ago we had actually gotten to the point where we didnt have a deficit going up every year - previous administrations had finally gotten everything under control - both Rep and Democrats - but since 5 years ago when Bush took over the spending has gotten so far out of control that most conservatives are trying to figure out how to rein in Bush - thats just not a legacy that Republicans are used to - spending is usually a Democrat thing

Of course I should really start a different thread for this part - but did you notice that we have started a new offensive rooting out the "insurgents" and bombing their villages and killing them all - interesting that we are supporting the exact same thing Saddam is on trial for - these are exactly the same "insurgents" he was charged with killing when they rose up against him and now we can kill them in the name of war with no reprisal????


"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time,
and your government when it deserves it." -- Mark Twain

I'd have to seriously consider builiding a carbon fiber space elevator that they say we finally have the technology to construct.

You could build a small version for a trillion. Then start beaming electrical power down from orbit.

I would buy fox news and make turn their programming to the Liberal side

That'd be sweet. And hire a thousand lawyers and a thousand private detectives to make their mouthpieces miserable for the rest of their lives.

You'd still have about 950 billion left to play with...

true, true, unfortunately Zimbabwe and moldova are not the most interesting of locales to enjoy the finer things, things like the Almafi coast in Italy or Ibiza off the coast of Spain. With an extraordinary female or 10 to join me in my debauches I would be a most happy man indeed:D

with a trillion.

I would make well for my friends and family.

And I would disappear.

My daughter and I had this discussion the other day.. "What would you do if you had xxx of dollars?"

1. Buy my mother a house (although she already owns one and she'd probably never move since my dad built it -- he's passed away) and I'd pay for all her medical bills and care.

2. I'd do the same for my nephew who is living with his mom b/c he had a brain aneurysm. I'd build a house complete with physical therapy stuff and shit.

3. I'd get my daughter set for college, etc.

4. I'd do whatever for my brother and sisters, neices and nephews and their kids.

5. I'd invest so I could maintain the first 4 and me.

6. I'd disappear somewhere hot with sand and big houses with outdoor rooms...


Fuck the government! LOL