Just WHAT is One Trillion Dollars? -- In Layman's Terms -- and other deductions

* Posted by Stephen J. Robb on April 2, 2011 at 11:04am in General, Town Hall

If my figures or calculations are in error...please feel free to correct me.

I was channel surfing last night (in the wee morning hours) when I came upon The 700 Club and I paused to see what was going on in the Christian world. The personality on the screen was addressing our debt here in America....and I almost continued with my surfing as I have been hearing announcements on that issue on EVERY news channel for months. Just then, the announcer asked "Do you know exactly what One trillion dollars is?" Being punchy for lack of sleep...I said "NO!"

He went on, stating that most folks can't comprehend a trillion dollars.....you know...wrap their minds around the concept of that amount. So I listened with curiosity and doubt simultaneously.

His analogy: If you had 1.37 million dollars...you would consider yourself as being wealthy, wouldn't you? Ok...if you spent 1.37 million (that's...$1,370,000) EVERY day for a year...365 days -- EVERY DAY -- it would take you 2000 years to spend a trillion dollars.

($1,000,000,000,000).

So....I did the math. At that rate....with our national debt of $14 trillion...($14,000,000,000,000)...it would take 28 THOUSAND YEARS, making payments of $1,370,000 EVERY DAY to pay it off...and that is not including the interest...which was $413,954,825,362 accrued in 2010

http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/repo ... xpense.htm

I quit on the math thingy.....because I can't predict what the interest will be in years to come......but I can tell you that paying this debt off will not happen by cutting $33 billion off of the spending.

I have heard that shutting down the government would create havoc in the area of our credit rating but I can't figure out why anyone would have a problem figuring out which is worse between a bad credit rating....or bankruptcy which doesn't do much for a credit rating in itself.

If your eye offends you...pluck it out.

If your government offends you...shut it down.

I am offended!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

God Bless America: http://mcnaughtonart.com/artwork/view_z ... ece_id=353