Bush unveiled a mind-bending $3.1 trillion budget this morning that supports significant increases in military spending to fight the war on terror and protects his signature tax cuts.
The spending proposal, which shows the government spending $3 trillion in a 12-month period for the first time in history, squeezes most of government outside of national security, and also seeks $196 billion in savings over the next five years in Medicare and Medicaid.
It’s difficult for anyone to imagine how much money $3.1 trillion dollars actually is. So here’s some help:
- A stack of 3.1 trillion US dollar bills would stretch 210,385 miles (338,582 kilometers), enough to wrap around the earth 8.4 times.
- 3.1 trillion US dollar bills laid end to end would stretch 300,410,353 miles (483,463,600 kilometers). That’s 1,258 trips from the Earth to the moon or 3.3 trips from the Earth to the Sun. It would take light, which travels at 299,792,458 meters per second, almost 27 minutes to travel from one end of the line of US dollar bills to the other.
- $3.1 trillion is 6.43% of the world’s total GDP.
- A country with a GDP of $3.1 trillion would rank as the world’s third largest, just behind the US and Japan.
- To spend $3.1 trillion dollars, you have to spend $169,000,000 every day for 50 years.
Big-spending politicians at all levels of government are quickly bankrupting America. Meanwhile, Americans must now work half the year to make enough money just to pay their taxes, fees, and regulations.
As an American and patriot I am completely disgusted and outraged by this type of wanton disregard for the citizen’s economic freedom. And I know that I’m not alone. Things are starting to get downright terrifying.
– luke
