A Trillion!?!
February 10, 2009
Holy Moly how much is a trillion dollars? I’m pretty sure it’s more than I make in a year. Probably more than I’ll make in a lifetime… You think? I find it amazing that the politicians throw this number around as if it is something we’re all familiar with. I heard someone explain that if I spent a million dollars a day and I started when Jesus was alive, I would be 78% of the way through a trillion dollars. Wow. So it would take over 2000 years for one person to spend a million dollars a day but it only takes government a day to spend a trillion dollars? I repeat, WOW.
Now if I understand this correctly there are only 300 million people in the United States. What if the government were to give every citizen; man, woman and child, a million dollars? Do you think that would stimulate the economy? Do you think that would help the housing market? Not to mention 300,000,000 dollars is 999,700,000,000 dollars less than a trillion dollars. Once again I say WOW. Ok I understand that the math is wrong and it doesn't work. But I don't think that this is going to work any better than my math!
I’m hoping that people who should be way smarter than me know what they are doing. Once this is a done deal, it’s a done deal! I most admit that when I see some of the citizens on TV talking about the stimulus the only thing I hear them talk about is: who is going to help me, who will give the money to me, who’s going to pay my bills, things of that nature. I find this mentality very unusual because I was brought up to answer those questions with one word: ME! If I want to eat, I need to work, if I want to buy something, I need to save the money, etc. for too long people have been taught to stand with their hand out and let someone else do the heavy lifting. We’ve become a society of entitlement believers instead of a work and reward system. If this continues eventually there will be no one left to do the work. What happens then? Seems to me that will be the end of life, as we know it. Am I the only one who thinks about this kind of stuff?
I remember a few times in history where this attitude was strong, Can you say Sodom and Gomorra? Or what about Rome? Let’s ask Nero to play his fiddle shall we? Wake up people! If you stand around with your hand out you may not like what comes along and fills it up.
When I think back to when Jesus walked on earth I’m reminded of a time that found people spending and using money for self-indulgence. It was called the Temple and they were called moneychangers. That didn’t work out too well for them either. But what I find the most interesting part of this story is that most people view this as Jesus having a temper tantrum and cleaning house. That’s not what happened, if you read the account from the gospel of John it reads: John 2:13-16 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. (NIV) That’s right “he made a whip out of cords”. Now I’ve never done this personally but I can imagine it takes a while to make. So he probably had time to think about it as he was working. I'm not saying people don't need help or that all people are looking for a handout but what I am saying is be careful it’s almost time for Passover and I don’t want to be caught with my hand in the cookie jar! But hey, that’s just me.
February 10, 2009
Holy Moly how much is a trillion dollars? I’m pretty sure it’s more than I make in a year. Probably more than I’ll make in a lifetime… You think? I find it amazing that the politicians throw this number around as if it is something we’re all familiar with. I heard someone explain that if I spent a million dollars a day and I started when Jesus was alive, I would be 78% of the way through a trillion dollars. Wow. So it would take over 2000 years for one person to spend a million dollars a day but it only takes government a day to spend a trillion dollars? I repeat, WOW.
Now if I understand this correctly there are only 300 million people in the United States. What if the government were to give every citizen; man, woman and child, a million dollars? Do you think that would stimulate the economy? Do you think that would help the housing market? Not to mention 300,000,000 dollars is 999,700,000,000 dollars less than a trillion dollars. Once again I say WOW. Ok I understand that the math is wrong and it doesn't work. But I don't think that this is going to work any better than my math!
I’m hoping that people who should be way smarter than me know what they are doing. Once this is a done deal, it’s a done deal! I most admit that when I see some of the citizens on TV talking about the stimulus the only thing I hear them talk about is: who is going to help me, who will give the money to me, who’s going to pay my bills, things of that nature. I find this mentality very unusual because I was brought up to answer those questions with one word: ME! If I want to eat, I need to work, if I want to buy something, I need to save the money, etc. for too long people have been taught to stand with their hand out and let someone else do the heavy lifting. We’ve become a society of entitlement believers instead of a work and reward system. If this continues eventually there will be no one left to do the work. What happens then? Seems to me that will be the end of life, as we know it. Am I the only one who thinks about this kind of stuff?
I remember a few times in history where this attitude was strong, Can you say Sodom and Gomorra? Or what about Rome? Let’s ask Nero to play his fiddle shall we? Wake up people! If you stand around with your hand out you may not like what comes along and fills it up.
When I think back to when Jesus walked on earth I’m reminded of a time that found people spending and using money for self-indulgence. It was called the Temple and they were called moneychangers. That didn’t work out too well for them either. But what I find the most interesting part of this story is that most people view this as Jesus having a temper tantrum and cleaning house. That’s not what happened, if you read the account from the gospel of John it reads: John 2:13-16 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. (NIV) That’s right “he made a whip out of cords”. Now I’ve never done this personally but I can imagine it takes a while to make. So he probably had time to think about it as he was working. I'm not saying people don't need help or that all people are looking for a handout but what I am saying is be careful it’s almost time for Passover and I don’t want to be caught with my hand in the cookie jar! But hey, that’s just me.
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