So how much is a trillion anyway? Most of us know that if a million is a lot, then a billion is probably really a lot. But what about a trillion? As shown in the graph below, a billion is so small that it does not even register on this graph that shows a line for one trillion.
My favorite way of describing a trillion is that for a person working at $60 per hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year it would take 1.9 years to earn a million dollars. To earn a billion dollars it would take them 1,900 years. But to earn a trillion dollars it would take them one million, 900 thousand years (1,900,000 years). Understanding a trillion dollars is like trying to understand the distance of a light year. When we talk of the national debt in multiples of trillions of dollars we are in deep you-know-what. And who will have to pay if we don't act now and in a big way? Our children and grandchildren.
Have a nice day.
DWD
I knew I was under paid in relation to the government budget thanks....you need to send this to some media talking heads to get the word out.....
ReplyDeletePart of the problem is that media talking heads don't show graphs like this, they just use short, titillating sound bites that don't really inform. These graphs are part of a PowerPoint presentation that I have put together and am presenting to community groups. I will be posting the rest of my graphs and presentation over the next few weeks. Tell people about my blog and they can view my presentation that way.
ReplyDelete