A BILLION. Just what does it mean?

[spkrtoy]

A BILLION
This is too true to be very funny


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.
Interesting 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.

Dear Washington, D.C. ... 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 are the rule.
Tax his cow,
Tax his g oat,
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
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
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.

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 kids.

What happened? Can you spell 'politicians!'

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

I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times


What the heck happened?????

[backyard brewer]

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.
Interesting 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.

While I hate paying taxes as much as the next person, and boy do I pay my fair share, I think it's important to note that :

The population of Greater New Orleans stood at 1,337,726 in 2000, making it the 35th largest metropolitan area in the United States. These population statistics are based on legal residents of the city. Due to the enormous annual tourist flow, the number of people inside the city at a given time, such as Mardi Gras season, tends to exceed these numbers sometimes by the hundreds of thousands.

I hate distorted numbers.

[spkrtoy]

Thanks Derrin, I thought they were just talking about who's still living there now. Just goes to show you cannot take everything you read (or see/hear) as the truth!

[bwarbiany]

You can't believe most of what you read on the internet...

But if you think billions is a lot, you're talking about small potatoes. Our* government currently spends in between 2.5 and 3 TRILLION dollars a year.

That money comes from our taxes, yet our government was smart enough to figure out withholding, so that when tax day comes, the average American is HAPPY about what they get back, and doesn't spend enough effort looking at what they've paid to let the rage flow.

They say that "Cost of Government Day", factoring the cost to you from taxes, regulations, etc... Went BEYOND July 4th this year. That means that you actually work to pay the cost of government until after Independence Day. Gives a new meaning to independence day, eh?

---------------------

* I use the asterisk on "our" government, because I really don't think it's mine. Do you think it's yours?

[maltbarley]

Well I don't want to start a debate here and I'm not a big fan of paying taxes, but I do appreciate where I live and a system that allows me to live comfortably, in relative peace and brew beer for fun.

[backyard brewer]

Thanks Derrin, I thought they were just talking about who's still living there now. Just goes to show you cannot take everything you read (or see/hear) as the truth!

You're welcome, but that's not my point. Statistics are a very dangerous thing and are very easily skewed. In fact, the number in your post is actually high for the city of New Orleans proper. The number cited is from a 2000 census; the estimate post Katrina today, including undocumented workers is only about 300K. However, an influx of capital in that region will benefit far more than just the 300K-485K people that live within the city limits as well over a million people live in the area affected.

While I'm confident that a large portion of the money will be wasted and otherwise misappropriated, It's not like they are going to go door to door and hand out checks and there are far worse examples of our tax dollars being horribly misused.

[jward]

If global warning is going to increase sea level why rebuild New Orleans at all.

[bwarbiany]

a system that allows me to ... brew beer for fun.

The better question is, by what right could they stop you? Because prior to 1978, it was illegal. You could be fined or go to jail just because you were brewing beer for fun.

I understand your point. On balance, America is one of the better countries in the world. Compared to most of Europe, we have lower taxes, and compared to most of the rest of the world, we're more free.

But wrong is wrong. By what right can they stop you from brewing beer for fun?