How Much Is A Trillion?

Health Care Spending In The U.S. Has Exceeded $1.6 Trillion. The U.S. Deficit Is More Than $8 Trillion. Unfunded Future Liabilities For U.S. Baby Boomers Are $62 Trillion. But Just Exactly How Much Is A Trillion?

These days we deal in big numbers in the U.S.

In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear a some policy wonk, economist, or “think tank” egghead throw out the term “trillion” in some form during the day.

For example, on any given day we hear news reports informing us that we’re now spending more than $1.5 trillion on health care in the U.S.; that the new national deficit has surpassed $8 trillion; that unfunded future liabilities for the baby boomers are $62 trillion and growing each day.

Don’t get me wrong here–I’m not saying that we shouldn’t talk about such matters.

To be sure, I think all of this information is quite interesting, useful, and important–it’s the stuff we need to know as responsible citizens of this country.

But, it seems to me we’re throwing around some pretty big numbers here–numbers that we all should be questioning, not just swallowing.

After all, a trillion is a fairly hefty number.

Just how hefty you ask?

Well, when you sit back and really start to think about a trillion dollars, it’s nothing short of mind-blowing. There are a number of other adjectives that come to mind besides mind-blowing–how about colossal, mammoth, leviathan, behemothic, or gargantuan? If you feel more comfortable using everyday vernacular, I am convinced that motherload would do.

The harsh fact of the matter is this: a trillion is the largest number that’s ever been dealt with in the history of the world–and “experts” toss us this grenade like it’s no big deal.

Here’s a way to get handle on how big this number actually is.

If you counted to a trillion out loud, one number per second, you’d have to clear your calendar for the next 31,688 years just to complete the task.

Now, let’s put a trillion in financial terms.

Let’s say it’s the year 1, the beginning of the first millennium. You have a trillion dollars to spend–at the rate of one million dollars a day. At just before three years, you’ve reached a billion dollars. So you keep spending. Now you are in the year 2,000. Would you believe you’d still have 737 years to go before you exhaust your trillion dollar pile.

Here’s the point–a trillion is a huge number.

What’s more, we are throwing around these kinds of numbers so often that they really don’t even mean anything anymore. And that’s a very dangerous place to be.

So the next time you hear someone throw out the word “trillion”–whether it’s in the context of healthcare, the federal deficit, or future obligations–I suggest you ask them if they have any idea what a trillion is.

I’ll bet you’ll be surprised.

Yours in good heath,

Dr. David Hunnicutt

**The two illustrations were set forth by Richard Saul Wurman in his 1999 book Understanding USA.

Copyright 2006, David Hunnicutt.com

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