The
zeros are breeding
300 Billion Dollars Equals
(300,000,000,000)
In May 2005 Congress approved additional
funds for the war in Iraq. This puts the total bill to date, at
$300 billion dollars. This sum of money was requested and required
by President Bush because of the U.S. led occupation of Iraq based
on Weapons of Mass Destruction that were never found and peace negotiations
that were never allowed to take place. Now, two years later, and
BILLIONS of dollars in debt, we are still at war and there is no
end in sight. How much more money will it take? How much further
can our country go into debt? How many more lives will be lost?
For most of us, it is difficult to
equate $300 billion dollars to our everyday lives because it is
so much money it is beyond comprehension. Below are some facts to
help put it in perspective.
United States population in 2004:
293,633,000
- Every man, woman and child has paid $1000 to fund the war in
Iraq. From the newborn baby, to the elderly in a nursing home,
WE ARE ALL FUNDING THIS WAR.
- 300 billion equals = 21 million people paying $1200 per month
in rent for a year.
This is everyone in the cities of Atlanta, Boston, New York, Chicago,
Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, Denver, Phoenix and San Francisco.
These are the expensive cities, in most of the country, rent is
half this much so we could house 42 million people for a year.
- In a recent study by the Urban Institute, approximately 3.5
million people are homeless, 39% of which are children. (Urban
Institute, 2000 www.nationalhomeless.org)
If we used just a portion of the money spent on the war, we could
end homelessness in our country.
- 300 billion equals = 56 million people paying $450 per month
for health care.
This is the entire population of California and New York having
health care for a year.
Approximately 45 million people in the U.S. are without health
insurance. 8.4 million are children. (Census)
- No U.S. companies have revenue of more than $300 billion a
year.
The war in Iraq is costing the U.S. more than any of our companies
makes in a year. Only the top 6 Fortune 500 companies make over
$100 billion a year.
Top Grossing U.S. Company – Wal-Mart Stores at $258 Billion
makes less than the cost of the war in Iraq.
- If we took OUR $300 billion dollars, laying $20 bills end to
end, we could wrap the Earth 57 times.
- In 1990, just 15 years ago, there was less than $300 billion
dollars in circulation—$266 Billion.
In 2004 there was $730 billion in circulation. This is a little
more that double the cost of the war in Iraq.
- According to the Federal Reserve, in 2004 we had the highest
debt increase (Government and non-government) since 1988.
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