Althouse: Just how tiny is $100 million?

May 5, 2009

Just how tiny is $100 million?

(Via Randy Barnett.)

39 comments:

traditionalguy said...: There you go again, Don't you know that math requires a part of the brain that hurts people when it is used? Our Congressional one party rulers will not be happy with this wing-nut propaganda exposing their money games using a visual format.; 5/5/09, 7:16 AM
AllenS said...: I've pointed this out before, but it bears repeating. This month all Social Security recipients, AllenS included, will get $250 extra. 400,000 recipents receiving $250 is $100 million. There are over 50 million of us.; 5/5/09, 7:22 AM
KCFleming said...: I saw this awhile back.
Cute, funny even, but so what?

The damage is done, and with nationalized health care, it will only get worse. We've passed the tipping point.

Althouse's generation always worried about being destroyed by the atomic bomb, even practiced as schoolkids for it, vainly hiding under their desks.

Little did they know that destruction would come instead in the form of an ideology that destroys from within: socialism.

Thanks Boomers!
You've hated Amerika ever since you could rebel against the strictures of monied libertinism, decrying a freedom to study and work and excel like no other nation of children ever before.

Now that goddamned racist sexist patriarchal capitalist state is going to the dustbin of history.

Anyway, the coming post-american nirvana is going to hurt like hell. Youtube videos like this are now pointless.; 5/5/09, 7:31 AM
The Dude said...: Watch it with the generalizations. Some of us born between '45 and '65 do not hate this country.

Some of us hate socialism.

As for tipping point - it has been reached and now we are sliding into 3rd world insolvency, which, according to the communists here, is a good thing. One more crisis to take advantage of, one more way to consolidate power.; 5/5/09, 7:41 AM
KCFleming said...: I'm tail-end baby boom myself.

The characterization is generally true, else for the Democrats are even giving the last few hacks at the roots of American society. And yes, they had much Republican help over the years.

You and I, and whatever few holdout libertarians and conservatives still remaining who think otherwise, cannot slow or stop this immolation.

We might be able only to preserve the original American ideal, a story we can keep protected, as if by monks, ready for a more worthy era.

But this experiment is over.; 5/5/09, 7:54 AM
Bissage said...: There is nothing wrong with the United States that can’t be fixed with another World War.; 5/5/09, 8:25 AM
The Dude said...: The problem of course, is that most of the people I come in contact with would willingly fight against American ideals and side with any enemy you can name.

Around here liberals side with muslim nihilism, Jews I have talked to are pro-Hamas, young people think communism is the way to go, and not one of them sees any goodness in what America has done, ever.

Sure, a world war would bring change, but perhaps not one that would lead to increased freedom.; 5/5/09, 8:32 AM
kjbe said...: If no one's going to miss that "1/4 penny", can I have it?; 5/5/09, 8:40 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Obama and many many Americans especially journalists are innumerates. Obama is counting on that.; 5/5/09, 9:06 AM
rhhardin said...: Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man’s hat
If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do
If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you!; 5/5/09, 9:18 AM
former law student said...: As I pointed out, much to Bruce Hayden's outrage, $100 million was roughly the amount of earmarks enjoyed by the state of Wyoming in 2005. So, eliminating all funds spent on earmarks would take 50 pennies off that table, if my math is correct.

But Social Security and Medicare money shouldn't even be on that table, according to Charles Krauthammer in a 1998 column.; 5/5/09, 9:47 AM
KCFleming said...: "But Social Security and Medicare money shouldn't even be on that table"...

Yup, there's all sorts of ways to pretend you ain't spending what you're spending.; 5/5/09, 9:50 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Pogo said;

"Yup, there's all sorts of ways to pretend you ain't spending what you're spending"

Damn I said the same thing to the clerk at the liquor store yesterday! Heh.; 5/5/09, 9:53 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: FLS:

Let's all be honest for once. The govt spends a bundle on programs that are outside of the sacred cows.

For example, excluding Medicare & Social Security funds, the residents of the city of Philadelphia receive more than $6 Billion per year in what I call "wealth redistribution benefits". That's more than $4,000 per resident and $6 Billion is real dough IMO.

Since the majority of Philadelphians DO NOT have their hand out for these govt benefits, I estimate those with their hands out get more than $16,000 each year in benefits.; 5/5/09, 10:00 AM
Sofa King said...: As I pointed out, much to Bruce Hayden's outrage, $100 million was roughly the amount of earmarks enjoyed by the state of Wyoming in 2005. So, eliminating all funds spent on earmarks would take 50 pennies off that table, if my math is correct.

Wait a minute. Did you really just take the total amount of earmarks for one of the least populated and politically powerless states in the Union - five years ago - and assume you could just multiply by 50 to get total earmark spending? That's pathetically weak even for you.; 5/5/09, 10:09 AM
John Burgess said...: Pogo: Kindly back off from the 'Boomer' generalizations, please.

Even though we all may have enjoyed the 60s to some extent or other, not all of us are nihilistic hedonists with our heads up our asses.

Some of us actually ended up conservative! At least on social policy issues...; 5/5/09, 10:21 AM
KCFleming said...: I'm batting 1000 today.; 5/5/09, 10:28 AM
The Dude said...: That's a wheat penny in the video still.

That's worth more than a penny.

Of course pennies cost more than a cent to produce, but that's government for you.; 5/5/09, 10:36 AM
Hazy Dave said...: Sofa King, if $100 million is a quarter of a penny, that 50 cents would be multiplying Wyoming's earmarks by 200...; 5/5/09, 10:43 AM
bearbee said...: "But Social Security and Medicare money shouldn't even be on that table"...

Yup, there's all sorts of ways to pretend you ain't spending what you're spending..

People will become un-innumerate (?) when:

1. Social Security benefits:

a. Are means-tested;

b. Retirement age is pushed back to 70 (or name your number) years;

c. Benefits are dramatically reduced.

2. Medicare is rationed to contributing and economically viable members of society.

All other will have the duty to die.; 5/5/09, 11:03 AM
bearbee said...: For example, excluding Medicare & Social Security funds, the residents of the city of Philadelphia receive more than $6 Billion per year in what I call "wealth redistribution benefits". That's more than $4,000 per resident and $6 Billion is real dough IMO .

Philadelphia mayor says the city has a $2 billion budget deficit and wants to raise property taxes by 1/3 over the next 2 years.

Where does that $6 billion of wealth distribution come from (federal?), where does it go, and why isn't it used to cover the budget deficit?; 5/5/09, 11:17 AM
bagoh20 said...: Forget about the budget, we need to clean up that guy's apartment. Where did he get the pennies and where do they go now? Won't he need a bigger apartment soon to do this in the future?; 5/5/09, 11:27 AM
bearbee said...: Addendum
re: Social Security:

d. Raise payroll taxes.; 5/5/09, 11:40 AM
bagoh20 said...: As a young hippy who often got away with attended collegs class shirtless (just a jean or leather jacket). The last Democrat I voted for was Carter, my first vote. Reagan's reforms caused me to give up my career plans of working for the EPA. I expected the agency to be gutted, and believed like many that Reagan was a crazy old dinosaur who would destroy us.
.
Despite this, I voted for Reagan 4 years later and have reversed nearly all my political views since. I simply grew up and got smarter. It is puzzling to me how many of my fellow boomers have identical views to the unexamined ones they held as teenagers. They still see their ideas as rebellious and new, even though they are the government now and we have seen these ideas fail everywhere since our youth. I'm now beginning to feel like a rebel against my government. Youth springs eternal. Now where is the free love? I'm growing my hair out, smoke'em if you got 'em.; 5/5/09, 11:50 AM
former law student said...: Thanks, Hazy Dave.

New York, Illinois, and California do get a disproportionate share of earmarks.

From my random dipping into it, most earmarks seem to be about road repair.

Although Wyoming has few people, it has many miles of road.

2005 is the most recent complete data for earmarks I found on the web, when the subject last came up.; 5/5/09, 11:55 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Bearbee:

The $6 Billion is a combination of state, federal and city funds spent on benefits for city residents.

Examples include fed outlays of $100 Million for LIHEAP, $400 Million for Phila Housing Authority, $600 Million for food stamps, $480 Million for Earned Income Tax credit.

City outlays include $600 Million for Human Svc Dept, $35 Million for Legal Aid, $65 Million for transit agency, $135Million for Health Dept and $45 Million for Homeless & Housing Asst.

State outlays include $2.2 Billion for Medicaid, $430 Million for County welfare, $370 Million for transit agency, $212 Million for chid care, $35 Million for S-schip.

This is not a comprehensive list. I could send to you if you want it.; 5/5/09, 12:48 PM
Smilin' Jack said...: This video doens't even scratch the surface of how stupid Obama's program is. Look at it this way: every year Congress funds a trillion dollars worth of programs that are full of waste, fraud, and abuse (category A). But trillions of dollars worth of other proposed programs (category B) are not funded, because they are too wasteful for even Congress to stomach. To stimulate the economy, Obama is going to throw trillions of dollars at this egregiously wasteful "shovel-ready" categroy B crap, and then take away a tiny fraction of that amount from already vetted and approved programs in category A that at least have some chance of being more useful.

Also, in terms of stimulus, it just doesn't matter what you spend money on. The world got out of the Great Depression by spending on WW II, which in global economic terms was not merely wasteful but actually destructive.; 5/5/09, 12:58 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Although Wyoming has few people, it has many miles of road.

And lots of interstate commercial truck traffic that goes over those roads. Maybe they should have a substantial toll at the borders of Wyoming for non Wyoming vehicles to make up the difference and for wear and tear on the highway by those nasty trucks from Iowa and California. Or just let the roads go to dirt except for those that are deemed essential to Wyoming residents.; 5/5/09, 1:09 PM
Leland said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/09, 3:19 PM
Eli Blake said...: Yet somehow when GWB cut $100 million from the national parks while spending trillions on things like Iraq and corporate giveaways via the energy bill and the prescription drug bill, conservatives loved it.; 5/5/09, 3:41 PM
Leland said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/09, 3:53 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Eli:

Now you are just making stuff up.; 5/5/09, 4:06 PM
Deb said...: I'll tell you how to make the populace numerate: instead of payroll deductions, write out a damn check to the IRS every week or month or quarter. or better yet, once a year. (I'm not talking about the self-employed here.) When you ask most people how much they paid in taxes, they will tell you, Oh, I didn't pay anything! I got a refund! Dumb asses.; 5/5/09, 5:46 PM
Deb said...: It is puzzling to me how many of my fellow boomers have identical views to the unexamined ones they held as teenagers.

...and how they think they are so much more intelligent than the rest of us.

Like my friend - so-called - who literally spit on his telephone because he had received a call from a Republican fundraiser.; 5/5/09, 5:53 PM
bagoh20 said...: Like my friend - so-called - who literally spit on his telephone because he had received a call from a Republican fundraiser.I know a woman who bit her best friend on the arm in absolute anger because she admitted she voted for Bush.; 5/5/09, 7:21 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: FLS

Nice try at trying to change the subject. Won't work.

But if you want to bring up earmarks, if Obama had just eliminated ALL earmarks from the budget he signed, like he had promised, he would have saved, maybe, 80 times the $100 million he is trying to save here. And there were also a lot in the "stimulus" porkfest that was his signature bill.; 5/5/09, 9:18 PM
section9 said...: One of the reasons Obama made sure to have the CIA documents leaked about Waterboarding and to have his blogger friends chase after Condi Rice was because of stuff like this.

At the end of his first year in office, Franklin D. Roosevelt had put 4.5 million men to work on various public works projects. In so doing, he may not have put America "back to work" but he gave the nation real hope".

This President's achievements pale in comparison, which is why we have these cute little misdirection plays going on that only the rubes buy in to. You want to look at the Shiny Pony? Go right ahead.

Too bad. There was a time when Democrats produced real Presidents.; 5/5/09, 9:30 PM
rhhardin said...: You can use pennies are real money at supermarket U-scan lanes.

Just hit ``cash'' and start feeding them in.

There's no 10% knish (I'm pretty sure that's the word) for the cash cow.

Sometime when there's no line, of course.; 5/6/09, 7:38 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: RRHardin:

I think you were looking for the word "vig" or "vigorish".

A knish is what you might eat when your date is going really well.; 5/6/09, 8:02 AM