One trillion is WHAT?

The folks in DC are always talking in “trillions” these days – but you know, I was just getting my arms wrapped around them spending in the billions – and I really didn’t know what a trillion was.  So I looked it up…

Note: Since I live here in the U.S. – all figures utilize the American System.  The British system is similar, but listing both gets confusing.

1 Trillion = 1,000,000,000,000

1 Trillion = 1110100011010100101001010001000000000000_2 (Binary Format)

1 Trillion = 1,000,000 million (1 million, million)

1 Trillion = 1,000 billion (1 thousand billion)

1 Trillion = 1 x 10^12

1 Trillion = ~~ 9 x the number of people who have ever lived (~~ 1.1×10^11)

1 Trillion = ~~ 3.3 x the number of stars in our galaxy (~~ 3×10^11)

1 Trillion = ~~ 0.05 x the number of red blood cells in the human body (~~ 2×10^13)

1 million seconds = 11.5 days

1 billion seconds = 32 years

1 Trillion seconds = 31,546 years

6 Trillion seconds = 189,276 years

1 Light Year = 5,865,696,000,000 miles (5.8 Trillion miles)

1 Trillion pennies =  $10,000,000,166.40 (it also weighs in at 3,125,000 tons)

1 million dollars  = A stack of 1 thousand dollar bills four inches high

1 billion dollars = A stack of 1 thousand dollar bills 358 feet high

1 Trillions dollars = A stack of 1 thousand dollars bills…67.9 miles high

Man – 1 trillion is a WHOLE bunch!  But wait…as Ron Propel would say…there’s more…

MORE You say? What possibly could be more or bigger than that?

Well the scientists and mathematicians are way ahead of you here.  Thankfully – I don’t think we hit these numbers in our national debt…yet…but just so you know, these numbers are out there waiting for our politicians to hit…

Those listed in green are numeric s that our government is using on a daily basis

I’m told that this table really doesn’t end, but some official with some sense of reality did finally stop the madness at a googol - with is the number 10¹⁰⁰ or a 1 followed by 100 zeroes! OK, wise ass – it looks like this…

10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

That said, as with all things sane and insane – someone actually came up with the centillion which is 10^{303 or 1 followed by 303 zeros and finally – the Googolplex. Are ready for this one – a googolplex is a 1 followed by a googol of zeros. No, I’m not going to show what that looks like – you’re on your own for that one ;-)}

Now isn’t all that cool?  Of course it is.  Well – time for a reality check my friends…

According to Barbara Kiviat, at Time on 01.11.09…“Actually, the deficit is on track to hit $1.2 trillion this year, but what’s $200 billion among friends? “ How to Understand a Trillion-Dollar Deficit

Mark Pittman and Bob Ivry at  Bloomberg.com 02.09.09  “The stimulus package the U.S. Congress is completing would raise the government’s commitment to solving the financial crisis to $9.7 trillion, enough to pay off more than 90 percent of the nation’s home mortgages. “ U.S. Taxpayers Risk $9.7 Trillion on Bailout Programs

Eamon Javers at the Politico 07.20.09…“A series of bailouts, bank rescues and other economic lifelines could end up costing the federal government as much as $23 trillion”  Bailouts could cost U.S. $23 trillion

JONATHAN WEISMAN and DEBORAH SOLOMON at the Wall Street Journal said on 08.26.09 …“The numbers — including a White House forecast of $9 trillion in additional debt over the next decade — could affect Mr. Obama’s efforts to increase spending in a host of areas…” Decade of Debt: $9 Trillion

David Rogers at the Politico reported on 12.09.09…“In a bold but risky year-end strategy, Democrats are preparing to raise the federal debt ceiling by as much as $1.8 trillion before New Year’s rather than have to face the issue again prior to the 2010 elections.” Democrats to lift debt ceiling

Mark Knoller CBS News stated on 12.16.209…“The latest calculation of the National Debt as posted by the Treasury Department has – at least numerically – exceeded the statutory Debt Limit approved by Congress last February as part of the Recovery Act stimulus bill. The ceiling was set at $12.104 trillion dollars. The latest posting by Treasury shows the National Debt at nearly $12.135 trillion.” U.S. National Debt Tops Debt Limit

24/7 Wall St. on January 25th, 2010 reported… ” The debt ceiling, which is at $12.4 trillion, is near its limits and the Senate will consider whether to add $1.9 trillion to the cap. Dow Jones estimates that the increase will only be good through early next year when Congress will have to consider the matter again.“  Custer’s Last Stand?: The National Debt Ceiling

Kim Linton on AC Associated Content News put it this way on the 21st of this month…“The current national debt limit, $12.4 trillion, is expected to be exceeded within the next month. Of the $12.4 trillion, over $7.5 trillion (54 percent of the nation’s GDP) is borrowed from foreign governments and private investors. The Senate plan will increase the Treasury’s legal borrowing limit to $14.3 trillion – which is about the size of our entire economy.” Democrats Push to Raise Federal Debt Ceiling to Cover Government Spending

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

So…The senate wants to raise the dollar amount of which we can borrow – to equal the total dollar amount of our entire countries economy?

Let me ask you a question – if you scale this down to human size, say, your own household  – do you think that your bank would give you that kind of credit limit on your charge card?  Now remember – not just YOUR income, but your entire households income would be the equivalent credit limit on a single charge card!

Somehow I don’t think that would happen – so why should the senate be able to do it?  ESPECIALLY with their dismal credit rating!

OK – now, do you REALLY want to get sick?  What is the interest ONLY our the national debt?  You better sit down for this one…

Each year since 1969, Congress has spent more money than it takes in. As much as this may sound like your house – The Treasury Department “simply” borrows money to meet Congress’s spending! Of course, like you – WE – that’s right WE the tax payers must pay interest on that debt.

According to the Treasury Department Bureau of the Public Debt, as of September 30th 2009, when the national debt was ONLY about $12 trillion…the interest on that debt was $383 billion for the year.  OK, now with revenue from individual incomes taxes at about $900 billion – that means that the interest ALONE is approximatly 40% of that income!

What’s left for all the programs that the Obama administration wants to pass?  All that pork that congress keeps piling on?  Ooops – don’t forget about all the commitments to military spending, medicaid, the VA, social security, the hundreds if not thousands of other entitlement programs (political speak for welfare and other hand outs).  OK NOW – what’s left over for all this additional spending?

Nothing! It appears that we are on a pure deficit spending trip – and our grandchildren will be footing the bill long past their own retirement age.

So why do we allow them to get away with this?  Good Question…I just don’t have an answer for it!

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