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Sunday 21 February 2010

A Billion?

billion

 

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 recently did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective ...

A billion seconds ago it was 1959

A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive

A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age

A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet

A billion pounds ago was only 13 hours and 12 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it: Building Permit Tax, Cigarette Tax, Corporate Income Tax, Dog Licence Tax, Income Tax, Unemployment Tax, Fishing Licence Tax, Food Licence Tax, Fuel Permit Tax, Petrol/Diesel Tax, Hunting Licence Tax, Inheritance Tax, Inventory Tax, Liquor Tax, Luxury Tax, Marriage Licence Tax, Property Tax, Real Estate Tax, Service Charge Tax, Social Security Tax, Road Usage Tax, Rates/Local Tax, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Workers Compensation Tax ...

This was an American advertising agency, as you may have guessed. In this country only the terminology is different.
Still think this is funny? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was one of the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt. We had the largest middle class in the world, and Mum could afford to stay home to raise the kids.

 

H/T to GOS

Love Never dies.

A little bit of culture for Sunday.