How much is a billion?

[Kiwon]

Interesting....

“The next time you hear somebody use the word billion in a casual manner, keep these things in mind. A billion seconds ago it was 1959. A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive. A billion hours ago, our ancestors were living in the Stone Age. A billion days ago, no one walked on the earth on two feet. A billion dollars ago was eight hours and 20 minutes at the rate our government spends money. A billion dollars, eight hours and 20 minutes ago. Yet a billion seconds ago it's 1959.”

(copied)

[oregonpackfan]

Even more boggling, just think of the hundreds of billions of dollars our country has wasted in the Iraq War($320 billion at last count.

Add to that the hundreds of billions of dollars our country will waste in that never-ending war. :(

[Chubbyhubby]

How true... At this rate we should pehaps send a Billion people over to Iraq in this never-ending war.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Americans have made approximately $34,500,000,000,000 (that's 11 zeroes) over the last 5 years. Let's go on the EXTREME low-end and say everybody was taxed at 20% (of course, that's ludicrous since most people are taxed well over double that when you count income tax, property tax, sales tax, sin tax, and everything else).

So, our various governments (local, state, federeal) have received a minimum of $6,900,000,000,000 over the last 5 years. My question is where did the other $6,580,000,000 go? More like where did the other $12-15 trillion go?

[Joemailman]

1.125 billion seconds ago, the Vikings began their quest for an NFL Championship. :D

[LL2]

Even more boggling, just think of the hundreds of billions of dollars our country has wasted in the Iraq War($320 billion at last count.

Add to that the hundreds of billions of dollars our country will waste in that never-ending war. :(

Don't forget the billion dollars in pork barrel projects for all the house reps and senators that was stuck in the last Irag spending bill either that called for a deadline to withdraw troops. It's funy how they get people to vote for things on capital hill!

[Kiwon]

IMHO, the "never-ending war" begins to end when moderate Muslims start to police their own radicals.

Until that time, it would be foolish to not be in Iraq, Afghanistan, and anywhere else disrupting terrorist networks and killing as many jihadists as possible there before they strike here.

The battle is against an ideology that is almost as much as threat to moderate Muslims as it is to non-Islamic governments and peoples. These people announce their intentions every single day. We are in a war whether we want to be or not.

The members of our all-volunteer army are heros. They join the military knowing that they are going to battle and may die. They understand the threat and are responding to it while far too many other citizens are ready to capitulate to any demand.

$320 billion is money well spent in my opinion.

Here's why: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0524072torture1.html

[oregonpackfan]

Kiwon,

Your statement "The battle is against an ideology that is almost as much as threat to moderate Muslims as it is to non-Islamic governments and peoples. These people announce their intentions every single day. We are in a war whether we want to be or not." suggests that Muslim terrorists are focused in just a couple of countries.

Muslim terrorists bombed a subway in Madrid, Spain. British-born Muslims bombed railway stations in London, England. Should the United States occupy those countries with thousands of troops like they are Iraq?

This is not WWII where there are defined nations like Germany and Japan seeking world domination. These are isolated terrorists groups.

The US should be using commando-style tactics in countering those groups. They should not be using WWII tactics with large armies trying to fight terrorists cells.

LL2,

The latest Iraq War funding bill did NOT include troop withdrawal timelines! In essence, the US Congress gave the President another black check to wage this war of occupation for as long as he wishes without any accountability from the Iraqis.

[LL2]

LL2,

The latest Iraq War funding bill did NOT include troop withdrawal timelines! In essence, the US Congress gave the President another black check to wage this war of occupation for as long as he wishes without any accountability from the Iraqis.

Your right the latest one didn't, but the one before that did. Pelosi's stupid effort to try to get one passed failed at the presidents desk.

[HarveyWallbangers]

$320 billion is money well spent in my opinion.

$320 billion spent on real-time testing of our military weapons.
:D

[Merlin]

You wold be surprised at how quickly things would change if the country was united in regards to the Iraq war. Every time a Democrat (or Rhino for that matter) spouts off about how the "American people voted to end the war" or "There must be a time table for withdrawal" adds fuel to the terrorists fire. Americans didn't vote to "end the war". If they did, then explain why there are many people still in Congress that voted for the war? You vote them out, not keep them in. The American people bought a bridge from the Democratic party and now we are seeing their true agenda, tax, tax, tax, take, take, take, spend, spend, spend. Endless litigation into non-issues and hypocrisy at it's finest. Congress is a nothing more then a bunch of out of touch politicians who base their opinion on the latest poll of 1,000 people. They ALL need to go and we need to set term limits on them. A lot of our Senators have been there for most of my adult life and there are a pile of House members that are as well.

Instead of splitting the country and trying to micromanage a war they voted for, Congress should shut the hell up and get behind our Military leaders and push for a quick victory. Support them in every way possible. It is clear that mistakes have been made but it is a war and things don't always go as planned. The average American is impatient and apparently willing to buy whatever the media has to offer even though it is nothing more than liberal propaganda. I wish to that the war was over but not for the reasons Congress has been spouting. I wish the war was over so we could focus our military on the next terrorist state. It isn't over and won't be over until our Military Leaders determine that there is nothing more we can do. There will be no victory in Iraq because that will not be known for decades after we have left. As Americans we need to focus on how many terrorists we are killing and with those we have captured, the easiest way to send them to Allah. Instead we are stuck watching the extreme left try and shove it's bullshit agenda down our throats!

[Fosco33]

Americans have made approximately $34,500,000,000,000 (that's 11 zeroes) over the last 5 years. Let's go on the EXTREME low-end and say everybody was taxed at 20% (of course, that's ludicrous since most people are taxed well over double that when you count income tax, property tax, sales tax, sin tax, and everything else).

So, our various governments (local, state, federeal) have received a minimum of $6,900,000,000,000 over the last 5 years. My question is where did the other $6,580,000,000 go? More like where did the other $12-15 trillion go?

Exactly - most of the other tax (local, property, etc) is quite available in budget expenditure documents (education, law enforcement, infrastructure, etc.). Lots of hidden money goes towards national security and isn't reported.

My current buzz point is on Social Security. At the current rate, less 20 million illegal aliens who may be citizens soon, SS will run out right before I turn 65. So, where is my motivation to pay into a system that currently has 0 benefit for me? I feel my generation is going to have quite a lot to say about that when most people my age realize we're getting fucked with the bill!

The other thing that pisses me off - most corporations use foreign tax shelters or organize in states with weak laws (Delaware) - so the people paying into tax are citizens. At some point when my taxes outweigh the average earned income and my use of social services is essentially 0, I'll be again quite pissed off. Ever think the gov't would refund each taxpayer with an equal distribution of $320B (about $2000 per taxpayer considering 180M people) for the war - heck no! That would go to another program.

The government has no clue about fiscal responsibility- wonder why most Americans are in debt! Hmmmm....

[Kiwon]

$320 billion is money well spent in my opinion.

$320 billion spent on real-time testing of our military weapons.
:D

Actually, this is quite true. I asked a guy last week that has done two tours (23 months) in Iraq about technological innovations that he has seen.

His first deployment was in 2004 and his second was in 2006. He says that the uniforms the guys wear today are completely different and superior to what he had during his first tour.

Also, the glass used on some vehicles is stronger than the steel. It sounds crazy but it saved this guy's life in one instance.

Unfortunately, the enemy has adjusted as well. The armor-piercing IEDs manufactured and shipped from Iran are consistently lethel. Those B-----ds are next, maybe sooner rather than later if ABC News and CBS News doesn't quit compromising our intelligence. :evil:

[falco]

Those B-----ds are next, maybe sooner rather than later if ABC News and CBS News doesn't quit compromising our intelligence. :evil:

i say nuke em all and let god sort em out. then we won't have to worry anymore.