A Czech checks the Federal cheques!

Being a simple minded fellow myself I am always a believer in the old adage that one picture is worth a thousand words.  Of course, that comes with a health warning to the effect that clever people can often tamper with pictures - so beware!  However, I am certain you can take this graph as mathematically accurate because the originator is a mathematician, well, actually I think he's a physicist but, hell, these days where does maths end and physics begin?  His name is, like virtually everything in Czech-land, unpronounceable - Lubos Motl, with a sort of 'v' over the last 's', and don't ask me what that means!  Apart from the economic 'state of the nation', Lubos often casts a cold, scientific eye over the wilder claims of the 'HAFs'.  An interesting blogger even if some of his physics is a tad difficult for a dummy like me.

Anyway, if I throw a number at you, like, say, 1.4 trillion, are your re-actions a shrug, a puff of air through the lips, a muttered, "Golly-gosh, that's, er, big" before you rush away to paint the mother-in-law's kitchen rather than spend more time with me?  Can't say I blame you.  But here's another big number, this one, provided by Lubos, is a quote from one of my heroes, Richard Feynman:

There are 10^{11} stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers.

Heh! you can now spit out, that's nothing, a mere bagatelle, because according to Lubos, 10^{11}, or a hundred billion, is actually 14.2 times smaller than the American Federal deficit!  That stands at 14.2 trillion, or at least it did a week ago but by now I bet you can add a few more billions to the total - and that's before Obama starts the big spend on his 'National Socialist Health Service'. 

Anyway, if all those big numbers are giving you a headache, just look at the picture:

'Nuff said', I feel; or, if you prefer it, "Stick around, you ain't seen nuttin' yet!"

Comments

[dearieme]

Ah, but such numbers are the result of some accounting convention or other, designed to make the situation look better than it is. So God knows how bad the reality is.

[David Duff]

Christ on a bike, 'DM', tell me it ain't so!

[fallenmonk]

If one would do a little research one would find that the large change in the number for 2009 is due to the fact that the Obama administration included in the deficit all those things which Bush/Cheney kept out by accounting gimmicks such as the cost of Iraq, Afghanistan and myriad other 'off budget' items. The intent is to have health care reforms be 'budget neutral' when netted over the next 10 years and it is way too soon to know if that will be successful.

[David Duff]

"The intent is to have health care reforms be 'budget neutral'"

Oh, 'FM', purleeese! You're talking to a man who lives in a country with a nationalised health service. It is never, ever, really, not ever, 'budget neutral', take my word for it. And if a government tries to minimise the rate of increase in the budget, the waiting queues for treatment get longer and longer and the voters get angrier and angrier and so teh politicians sign of yet anoth increase in the budget - it's called bribing people with their own money!

"it is way too soon to know if that will be successful."

No it's not! How many trillion dollar government plans ever come in on budget?

Come on, 'FM', I know you wish and wish that it will all come true but inside there's a little commonsense voice muttering, "Like hell it will!"

[Meyieaea]

Big numbers bumfuzzle me...... and now as if I wasn't worried before...... this was all I needed

[Meyieaea]

And speaking of the little boxes on the side.... how come everyone else gets a pretty white one.. and I get prison wire????

[David Duff]

Dr. Duff, a specialist in Post Traumatic Bumfuzzling Syndrome, writes:

Oh come on, 'Mey', just keep repeating over and over:

"10^{11}, or a hundred billion, is actually 14.2 times smaller than the American Federal deficit! That stands at 14.2 trillion"

and soon your bum will be completely unfuzzled!

No, no, please, I don't take cheques, even with small numbers, just cash in the usual brown envelope, no need for Gordon to know, he's got much more important things to worry about.

[David Duff]

Oops, almost missed your complaint about the wire. Sorreee, I'll get on to Cheri-Sue-Beth in California, first thing tomorrow. (Any excuse really, I just know she's drop dead gorgeous and blonde - can't think why I'm so certain about the blonde bit!)

[Meyieaea]

prison wire...just checking to see if it changes .... or if I am stuck with it????

[David Duff]

Stuck on it, more likely, a bit like that old WWI song "Hanging on the old barbed wire, cor blimey, hanging on the old barbed wire"!

I'll try TypePad now.

[David Duff]

See that, 'Mey', and be utterly amazed and admiring of my technical wizardry! With a mere touch to my keyboard you are free of the barbed wire - no, no, please, no thanks, just cash - or cheques if you insist. A small percentage may have to be forwarded to Colleen (only one name!) who has obviously taken over from Sue-Beth-Cheri-Lyn in the job of running TypePad.

[Meyieaea]

AHHH I have been released from Prison........Thanks David...... I really liked everyones box but mine...... I just didn't understand why I got prison wire while everyone else had pretty pink boxes full of flowers.....an omen for sure that I wasn't enjoying.