Our national debt is now $12 Trillion dollars

[George Jung]

That's a pile of dollar bills 4.3 billion feet high or ~815,000 miles high. For reference, the moon is 237,570 miles away.

The pile of hundred dollar bills would literally go to the moon, come back, go back to the moon and almost make it back to Earth


It's also $60k/ working aged American (age 18-65). The average American makes about $33k/year.

[Anthony]

OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA!

[Mannix]

Originally Posted by George Jung

That's a pile of dollar bills 4.3 billion feet high or ~815,000 miles high. For reference, the moon is 237,570 miles away.

The pile of hundred dollar bills would literally go to the moon, come back, go back to the moon and almost make it back to Earth


It's also $60k/ working aged American (age 18-65). The average American makes about $33k/year.

[Obama]

[George Jung]

If there was no interest and we paid it back at $100/sec, we'd be paying it back until the year 5812

[Mannix]

Originally Posted by George Jung

If there was no interest and we paid it back at $100/sec, we'd be paying it back until the year 5812

What if we paid it back at $1000/second?

[George Jung]

Originally Posted by Moe

What if we paid it back at $1000/second?

You can figure it out

[Mannix]

Originally Posted by George Jung

You can figure it out

Sorry, I'm not good with numbers.

[George Jung]

Originally Posted by Moe

Sorry, I'm not good with numbers.

you're lucky zeke isn't here to pwnt you with his abilities to subtract, divide by 10 and add.

[Mannix]

Originally Posted by George Jung

you're lucky zeke isn't here to pwnt you with his abilities to subtract, divide by 10 and add.

His ability to do complex arithmetic in his head is intimidating.

[Ole]

I read somewhere that for the first time ever, national debt exceeds total private assets.

Can't confirm it, but that's what I heard.

[George Jung]

Originally Posted by Ole

I read somewhere that for the first time ever, national debt exceeds total private assets.

Can't confirm it, but that's what I heard.

That's fantastic. The US is now worth negative money.


Ron Paul must be having an aneurysm. Poor guy has been right 30-something years and no one listened to him.

[George Jung]

Here is an example of what happens in a polarizing two party system: We get the s*** end of both sticks. Money endlessly pissed away on unnecessary horrific government programs like social security and military:




This was cool:

As of October 1, 2009, the official debt of the United States government is $11.9 trillion ($11,920,519,164,319).[1] This amounts to:
• $39,205 for every person living in the U.S.[2]
• $102,074 for every household in the U.S.[3]
• more than $243,000 for every U.S. household that pays more in federal taxes than they receive in benefits from the federal government[4]

* As of September 30, 2008 (the end of the federal government’s fiscal year), the federal government has:
• $6.3 trillion ($6,342,000,000,000) in liabilities such as federal employee retirement and veterans' benefits[10]
• $17.1 trillion ($17,188,000,000,000) in projected shortfalls in the Social Security program
• $31.8 trillion ($31,810,000,000,000) in projected shortfalls in the Medicare program
• $137 billion ($137,000,000,000) in projected shortfalls in other “social insurance” programs[11]


These projected shortfalls are referred to as “closed group present values” and are calculated in a manner that approximates how publicly–traded companies are required to calculate their debts and obligations.[12] [13] [14] The figures represent how much money must be immediately placed in interest-bearing investments to cover the shortfalls between projected revenues and expenditures for all current taxpayers and beneficiaries in these programs.[15] [16] [17]

* Combining the figures above with the national debt and subtracting the value of federal assets, the federal government has $59.3 trillion ($59,338,000,000,000) in debt, liabilities, and unfunded obligations as of September 30, 2008.[18] This exceeds the combined net worth of all U.S. households including assets in real estate, corporate stocks, private businesses, and consumer durable goods such as automobiles, televisions, and furniture.[19] [20] In dollar terms, this shortfall equates to:

• $195,152 for every person living in the U.S.[21]
• $508,104 for every household in the U.S.[22]
• more than $1,209,000 for every U.S. household that pays more in federal taxes than they receive in benefits from the federal government[23]

National Debt - Just Facts


The Federal government has basically racked up $60 trillion in debt. At what point do you say "hmm... maybe we should stop letting them run things for a while and put them back on the governing side of things?" According to the above (again, didn't check cites), they've literally spent everything every American has earned, built and bought over the past 200+ years and then some.

[George Jung]

Look at that first graph again. WTF?

Aren't military spending and social-service spending where the left and right are the most ideologically opposed? Shouldn't they be the lowest area of spending, or at the least- only one of them is high, depending on which party is in control?"

If I hated cats and loved dogs but my g/f hated dogs and loved cats, we would have a f***ing goldfish- not a dozen dogs and a dozen cats.

[michelob]

gold fish suck.

[Ole]

So Tray:

How much would you cut the military and Social security if you were in charge?

How long would you last in office if you pissed off all the old folks?

[George Jung]

Originally Posted by Ole

So Tray:

How much would you cut the military and Social security if you were in charge?

How long would you last in office if you pissed off all the old folks?

By a lot. Social security is no longer needed- there are plenty of retirement servies. Our military, especially our navy, is way too big.

[michelob]

Originally Posted by George Jung

By a lot. Social security is no longer needed- there are plenty of retirement servies. Our military, especially our navy, is way too big.

Now you sound like a g****** long haired, hippie type, pinko f**.

[George Jung]

Originally Posted by michelob

Now you sound like a g****** long haired, hippie type, pinko f**.

You're the one without a job. I have two, one is for the government and I don't even get paid for it. I'm a hard working 'Merican.

[Ole]

Originally Posted by George Jung

By a lot. Social security is no longer needed- there are plenty of retirement servies. Our military, especially our navy, is way too big.

So what would you do with all the folks that were in the Navy that no longer have jobs?

Do you mean I get to keep the 15% that currently goes into FICA? Sign me the f*** up.

[George Jung]

Originally Posted by Ole

So what would you do with all the folks that were in the Navy that no longer have jobs?

Great argument for keeping them on the payroll and upkeeping all those naval bases.

That's like paying a group of people to dig holes and fill them back up, then arguing that we need to keep them because they'd be unemployed if we stopped that worthless program.

Originally Posted by Ole

Do you mean I get to keep the 15% that currently goes into FICA? Sign me the f*** up.

[Tony]

Canada's national debt is comparatively low ... $500 billion, or $15,000 for every citizen (our population is around 30 million, about the size of Commiefornia). Up until the market crash last year we had been running surpluses for years and paying down our debt, but this year I think our deficit is going to be something like $50b.

And we already have universal healthcare

Canada's National Debt Clock : The Canadian Taxpayers Federation

[Mannix]

Originally Posted by George Jung

That's like paying a group of people to dig holes and fill them back up, then arguing that we need to keep them because they'd be unemployed if we stopped that worthless program.

That ditch is Boss Kean's ditch. And I told him that dirt in it's your dirt. What's your dirt doin' in his ditch? You better get in there and get it out, boy.