Too many Americans have not the foggiest notion about the enormity of the Federal debt. Every so often, I ask various groups, how millions of dollars are there in a trillion? They think about it, voice some estimates, most of them not even close. They are stunned when they learn the facts, such as the case today. To be exact, as of the close of business yesterday, May 22, 1996, the exact Federal debt--down to the penny--stood at $5,117,440,103,398.93. Another astonishing statistic is that on a per capita basis, every man, woman, and child in America owes $19,318.08 as his or her share of the Federal debt. As for how many millions of dollars there are in a trillion, there are a million million in a trillion, which means that the Federal Government owes more than 5 million million dollars.
William Helms: “Too many Americans have not the foggiest notion about the enormity of the Federal debt. Every so often, I ask various…”
Editor's note · Context
Discussing the magnitude of the Federal debt and its implications for Americans.
Share
More from William Helms
I do not have two better friends in this body than Senator Biden...the statement they made that we have not had any hearings in the Foreign Relations Committee, that is strange. On Wednesday, June 14 of last year, 2000, 3:30 p.m., Dirksen…
On behalf of the 2.7 million members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and its Ladies Auxiliary, I want to express our strong support for amendment number 1690 to the National Defense Authorization Act, S. 1438, the…
Our friend and distinguished colleague, Strom Thurmond, has a lost a dear member of his Senate Family. Holly Richardson's courageous battle with breast cancer ended early Monday morning. I do not use the word courageous lightly; if there…
I understand that H.R. 1167, the bill to amend the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to provide for further self-governance by Indian tribes, contains a provision that would allow Indian tribes to purchase prescription…





