Da new math

So 38.5 BILLION equals 100 BILLION. At least, that seems to be the way the Republicans do math.

Jesus H. Tapdancing Christ. WTF is wrong with these people?!?

The promise was ONE HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS. Which, BTW, wasn't really enough, but would have been a good start. The current deficit, depending on who you ask, is somewhere north of 1.5 trillion dollars. so while the cuts of 100 billion dollars would not have erased the deficit (that is deficit spending, not total debt, by the way) it would have begun a process wherein we could have cut a bit more each year until we as a nation were at parity with our collected taxes in a few (maybe 15) years.

These Republican legislators sold us out. They failed in their promise. $38.5 billion isn't even close.

Just to put things in perspective:

The US was (is?) currently spending one hundred twenty five billion dollars more each month than we, as citizens are giving it in taxes, fees, and other income. $125,000,000,000 EACH MONTH. That is, BTW, one hundred twenty five thousand thousand thousand dollars.

Our legislators cut a really big amount off of that: 3.2 billion per month.  $3,200,000,. So this year we as a nation will now go 1.46 trillion dollars farther into debt each year. That number is 1,460,000,000, dollars DEEPER into debt.  While I will agree that 1.46 trillion is a smidge better than 1.50 trillion, it really isn't all that much. We are drowning. The hole we are in is being filled with 4 firehoses going full bore....they are bailing with a teaspoon.

   $1,500,000,000, (before)
   $1,460,000,000, (after)

Not a whole lot of change, is there?

Yeah, those folks in congress and the senate really helped here, didn't they?

 A little perspective...
Think about this:
If you were to make a stack of dollar bills (of you could find enough....there aren't actually that many actual bills in existence) containing all of the deficit spending that we do each year, it would make a stack about 537,500 feet high. A little less than 102 miles high. the stack would weigh 3,303,964 pounds...give or take a bit. 

Now that the "spending reductions" are in place: The stack of dollar bills that are spending (that we don't have) will only be 523,167 feet high....or only about 99 miles high. It would weigh only 3,215,859 lbs...more or less.

Note: these numbers are for the deficit spending THIS YEAR, not the debt.

Yep. those folks in congress sure fixed things, didn't they?

Sometimes I feel that the ballot box isn't going to get us out of this mess. The soapbox isn't getting the job done either.  There are other boxes....

Me? I like lampposts. More visual. But it is hard to get good American made rope these days.