A Little Perspective on $87 billion.
or "A billion here, a billion there... Pretty soon it starts to add up to some real money."

Please support this page telling everyone you know about the site.

I chose the $1 bill because I figured most readers would be familiar and could easily relate with that denomination. After all, I don't carry very many bars of gold around with me. Do you?

Q: You realize that $87 billion is small potatoes when it comes to government spending, don't you?

It's true that the government spends trillions and trillions of dollars on all sorts of things. But it's important to know where some of that money is going, especially when it comes to controversial issues like hunting expeditions for non-existent weapons of mass-destruction

Q: You realize that this amount of money is dwarfed by the huge democratic spending projects, like FDR's Social Security Plan, don't you?

I suppose if you want to compare the costs of a 3-year military campaign to a 65-year federal program, that's your business.

Q: Who originally said "a billion here, a billion there...?"

This quote is attributed to Sen. Everett Dirksen (R - Illinois) (b. 1896 - d. 1969), although there is no hard evidence that he actually ever made this remark.

Q. Why aren't you updating the page as fast as the government is spending all that money?

I think it's just fatigue. When I started this page, I didn't imagine we'd still be spending all this money, for years and years and years.

Q. Can I use your information as materials to teach my class / in my monthly newsletter / in a written exam for reading comprehension / to wallpaper my winnebego?

Yes. Provided your purpose is not for profit, and you tell me that you're doing it by sending me an email. (Incedentally, I have received emails asking for all of those things ... well, except for the wallpaper one.)

Q: Why do you hate America?

The goal of this site was never intended to be overtly political. Aside from the use of an unflattering image of the President, the statistics and numbers given are as accurate as possible. These facts are apolitical.

Have you got a question you'd like to see addressed on this page? Email me.

Want more?
There are more emails, as well as responses, over at CRUNCHLAND.

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