Our national debt illustrated... (Dial-Up Warning)

[Subdivisions]

http://www.pagetutor.com/trillion/index.html

Here's what a pallet with $1 Million looks like if you were standing beside it:






According to the http://www.fms.treas.gov/bulletin/index.html">Treasury Bulletin, our current outstanding debt is $7.9 Trillion. Now, here's what that looks like:





















Wonder how long it'll take to pay that off...

[hedgehog]

1. I think that the question, how long will it take to pay, is the wrong question.

The questions should be

1. What are we using the deficit to buy? Going into deficit to educate children is an investment, going into deficit to blow them up is not.

2. What are we not able to do because of a deficit? My state is hampered by the need to pay off bonds issued years ago.

3. How does the size of the deficit relate to the real productivity of the entire economy?

People think of the deficit as if they were personally borrowing the money. To put my questions into those terms:

1. Is the money being borrowed for a college education or to invest in a business, or is it being used to buy a big new toy to impress the neighbors?

2. Does the ongoing cost of paying off old loans keep you from buying necessities now?

3. Are you a kid making $5/hr on Saturdays with a $10,000 debt, or someone with an annual income of $50,000 with a $10,000 debt?

[no_hypocrisy]

2. When one starts using credit like real legal tender, these things will happen.