What Does a Billion Mean?

[JAD_333]

I was going to post this on the joke thread, but it isn't very funny. I suppose the Ron Paul people will find common cause with it. But it is thought provoking, especially the part about the cost of rebuilding New Orleans. I am all for seeing Orleans regain its charm and vibrancy, but just how much of the cost should the Federal government bear considering another hurricane could undo all the work? Anyway, the geriatric set here will appreciate the growth in tax types, seeing as how a good many of them weren't around when we were coming up.

The next time you hear a politician use the
word "billion" in a casual manner, think about
whether you want the "politicians" spending
YOUR tax money.
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend,
but one advertising agency did a good job of
putting that figure into some perspective in
one of its releases.


A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were
living in the Stone Age.

D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and
20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division . .

Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans. Interesti ng number, what does it mean?

A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of
New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you
each get $516,528.

B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in
New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.

C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family
gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D.C .. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??

Tax his land,
Tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirts,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.

Tax his booze,
Tax his beers,
If he cries,
Tax his tears.

Tax his bills,
Tax his gas,
Tax his notes,
Tax his cash.

Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.

If he hollers,
Tax him more,
Tax him until he's good and sore.

Tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.
Put these words upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove me to my doom!"

And when he's gone,
We won't relax,
We'll still be after the inheritance TAX!!
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cig arette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
F ood License Tax
Fuel Perm it Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
Internet Purchase Tax,
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax),
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),
Liquor Tax,
Luxury Tax,
Marriage License Tax,
Medicare Tax,
Property Tax,
Real Estate Tax,
Service charge taxes,
Social Security Tax,
Road Usage Tax (Truckers),
Sales Taxes,
Recreational Vehicle Tax,
School Tax,
State Income Tax,
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA),
Telephone Federal Excise Tax,
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fe e Tax,
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurri ng Charges Tax,
Telephone State and Local Tax,
Telephone Usage Charge Tax,
Utility Tax,
Vehicle License Registration Tax,
Vehicle Sales Tax,
View Tax, (for Moodus CT)
Watercraft Registration Tax,
Well Permit Tax,
Workers Compensation Tax.

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago,
and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kid s.

What happened? Can you spell 'politicians!'

And I still have to "press
1" for English.

I hope this goes around THE
USA at least 100 times

What the heck happened?????

[Silent Hunter]

100 years ago, the USA had segregation, major poverty and no Social Security.

I hate this old nostalgia business.

[tim52]

Originally Posted by JAD_333

The next time you hear a politician use the
word "billion" in a casual manner, think about
whether you want the "politicians" spending
YOUR tax money.
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend,
but one advertising agency did a good job of
putting that figure into some perspective in
one of its releases.


A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were
living in the Stone Age.

D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and
20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

Actually it's more like 3 hours and 13 minutes ago based on the 2007 budget.

[dalem]

A billion days ago was about what, 10 million years ago? Plenty of things have walked on 2 feet before and since then. Just to be a stickler.

-dale

[JAD_333]

Originally Posted by Silent Hunter

100 years ago, the USA had segregation, major poverty and no Social Security.

I hate this old nostalgia business.

I get your drift. But there was more there than nostalgia. And if you'd give a little thought to the progressive creep in tax categories you'd see that it is scraping the barrel to finance the growth in government regulation. There is a finite limit to regulation. Eventually, it arrives at social gridlock, or what the Brave New World characterized as life under "big brother". If I was 21 again, I would have a reason to worry about it, but I probably wouldn't because I hated all that nostalgia business at that time in my life. Cheers.

[JAD_333]

Originally Posted by dalem

A billion days ago was about what, 10 million years ago? Plenty of things have walked on 2 feet before and since then. Just to be a stickler.

-dale

Stickle away, dale. I just lifted the whole quote from another source. It's also wrong that land or liquor taxes didn't exist 100 years ago. But, hey, it's the gist that matters.

[HistoricalDavid]

Snopes to the rescue.

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Billions and Billions

[Julie]

Interesting. I think New Orleans, since it's inception, was a ticking time bomb. If nobody wanted to go through the trouble of putting out the fuse, so be it.

The private sector should risk the rebuilding New Orleans. Our Government should, and did, give emergency relief, for humanitarian reasons, but that's as far as it should go.

I would go as far to say that Government legislation should make these insurance companies cough up money for these claims to help them rebuild.

New Orleans will still remain too much of a risk to invest billions of taxpayers dollars into. I would vote it down.

[JAD_333]

Originally Posted by HistoricalDavid

Snopes to the rescue.

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Billions and Billions

Great find. Thanks. I think I'll toss that back at my source although Urban Legends doesn't have much problem with the math.

[JAD_333]

Originally Posted by Julie

The private sector should risk the rebuilding New Orleans. Our Government should, and did, give emergency relief, for humanitarian reasons, but that's as far as it should go..

Julie:

You sound positively conservative, but you make good sense.

[Feanor]

Look, everyone comes to America to build a city ON a hill. Only the French come and build a city UNDER a hill. So that every time it rains they get flooded. Well whatever they're French..... then the U.S. goes and buys it (buyer beware I guess, but if you're going to buy something French you should have the brains to check it out ahead of time) and now you guys are footing the bill for the Frenchness of la France. Any surprises? Come on who didn't see it coming?

[Gun Grape]

Jad

Saw the Building Permit and just thought about this. Before I can even pay for the building permit (which is based on some super secret formula that I've not been able to figure out) I have to pay over $6,000.00 in various "Impact fees".

Everything from school, sewer, water,fire,sea turtle, road ect... Then as you know, after paying these fees I still have to pay Tap fees to use those utilities that I just paid an impact fee on.

But once again. Preaching to the choir

[gunnut]

Originally Posted by Julie

Interesting. I think New Orleans, since it's inception, was a ticking time bomb. If nobody wanted to go through the trouble of putting out the fuse, so be it.

The private sector should risk the rebuilding New Orleans. Our Government should, and did, give emergency relief, for humanitarian reasons, but that's as far as it should go.

I would go as far to say that Government legislation should make these insurance companies cough up money for these claims to help them rebuild.

New Orleans will still remain too much of a risk to invest billions of taxpayers dollars into. I would vote it down.

Who are you and what have you done with Julie?

[gunnut]

Originally Posted by Feanor

Look, everyone comes to America to build a city ON a hill. Only the French come and build a city UNDER a hill. So that every time it rains they get flooded. Well whatever they're French..... then the U.S. goes and buys it (buyer beware I guess, but if you're going to buy something French you should have the brains to check it out ahead of time) and now you guys are footing the bill for the Frenchness of la France. Any surprises? Come on who didn't see it coming?

The original New Orleans was not built below sea level. The old town (Bourbon St. etc) largely survived Katrina intact. It's the new development that had problems.

I don't understand why people build there. It's not like we're short on land. Move back a few miles and you get great dry land.

[Feanor]

Originally Posted by gunnut

The original New Orleans was not built below sea level. The old town (Bourbon St. etc) largely survived Katrina intact. It's the new development that had problems.

I don't understand why people build there. It's not like we're short on land. Move back a few miles and you get great dry land.

Goddamnit. Thanks for ruining my wonderful theory