Iowahawk: Sixteen Tons of Debt

Give him the click here.

Or watch below.

This guy makes an outstanding point. The numbers -- billions and trillions -- are so far beyond typical real-world comprehension (we have no sense of them) that this deficit and debt are incomprehensible and unreal as they stand.

To understand them, divide by one hundred million.

Let’s start with federal spending. The FY 2011 federal budget is approximately $3.82 trillion (3.82×10^12). Of that, approximately $2.17 trillion will be paid for by taxes collected and the remaining $1.65 trillion will be borrowed from our grandchildren. If we divide everything by 100 million, the numbers begin to make more sense.

We have a family that is spending $38,200 per year. The family’s income is $21,700 per year. The family adds $16,500 in credit card debt every year in order to pay its bills. After a long and difficult debate among family members, keeping in mind that it was not going to be possible to borrow $16,500 every year forever, the parents and children agreed that a $380/year premium cable subscription could be terminated. So now the family will have to borrow only $16,120 per year.

posted by Ace at 04:25 PM

| Access Comments