Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watdcsu.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watdcsu!dmcanzi From: dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi) Newsgroups: net.misc Subject: Re: How Big Is A Trillion? Message-ID: <1590@watdcsu.UUCP> Date: Thu, 8-Aug-85 02:13:15 EDT Article-I.D.: watdcsu.1590 Posted: Thu Aug 8 02:13:15 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 9-Aug-85 04:44:08 EDT References: <126@well.UUCP> Reply-To: dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi) Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 17 Keywords: defense money spending Summary: In article <126@well.UUCP> bcx@well.UUCP (Bryan Costales) writes: >In the past 6 years the United States has spent over one trillion dollars >on defense. Unfortunately, the average person has little concept of how large >an ammount of money that really is. To illustrate how big a trillion really >is, let me ask you some questions: (questions omitted) A trillion dollars spent over 6 years, by a country of roughly 250 million people, amounts to about $700 per year per warm body, or $2800 per year for a family of 4. With defense spending increasing, because of inflation if for no other reason, the cost would have been less 6 years ago and would be more now... I'd guess about $900 per person this year. This is a lot easier to understand than questions about the size of a cube containing a trillion grains of sand, or how long a trillion seconds is. -- David Canzi "Adequacy -- is it enough?"