My grandson ask me, “How much is a billion dollars.” I know the universal application of its value compared to a million, but in terms of how it's affecting my life at present is important to understand. I went to the internet in search of the value of "one billion" and how it applies today.
The next time you hear a politician use the word "billion" in a casual manner, make certain this 'politician' is spending YOUR TAX DOLLARS WISELY.
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but recently one advertising agency put this amount into perspective:
A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
A billion minutes ago Jesus walked the earth.
A billion hours ago it was the Stone Age.
A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
BUT... A BILLION DOLLARS ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes at the current rate of GOVERNMENT SPENDING! Soon we’ll be using the Debt Meter for an electric fan.
While these thoughts are fresh in your mind, take a look at the figures that Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu (D) asked Congress to divvy up to rebuild New Orleans. She asked for 250 billion dollars.
What does this mean, you might ask? If you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans, it means every man, woman, and child would each receive a whopping $516,528. If you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans, your home gets $1,329,787, or if you are a family of four - your family gets $2,066,012.
Okay, if this doesn’t bother you, lets take a look at just a few of the taxes collected from the American people.
Airline Tax, Building Permit Tax, CDL License Tax, Cigarette Tax, Corporate, Income Tax, Dog License Tax, Death Tax, Federal Income Tax (Fed), Federal Unemployment Tax (FU TA), Fishing License Tax, Food License Tax, Fuel Permit Tax, Gasoline Tax, Hunting License Tax, Inheritance Tax, Inventory 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 Fee Tax, Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax, Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax, Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax, Telephone State and Local Tax, Telephone Usage Charge Tax, Utility Tax, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Watercraft Registration Tax, Well Permit Tax, Workers Compensation Tax... and I am most certain there are many, many more that I have not listed.
We left Britain to avoid taxes! It’s important to understand not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago. Our nation was the most prosperous in the world, we had no national debt, we had the largest middle class in the world and most families had only one income (mothers stayed home to raise their children).
My father taught us, “You won’t know which way to go unless you first understand where you've been. It’s important to constantly evaluate your life and make certain you are headed in the right direction.”
I don’t think I truly understood the depth of my father's words until I got older. As I matured, I realized that the past is a starting point to future destinations. Also, I realized we can change the future by evaluating the past and in doing so, we can gain the wisdom to create a better future. By Linda Sumner Urza, Written for: One fine day11.blogspot.com
