So... a trillion here, a trillion there...

...pretty soon, we're talking some real money.

Ever think about how big a number "One Trillion" is?

You can think of it in math terms, but most people "see" things in pictures. Math as a "picture" doesn't really compute, or have much impact.

I read this from the economist Thomas Sowell recently:

Since many people have trouble grasping what a trillion means, one way to visualize it is that a trillion seconds ago, no one on this planet could read or write. The ancient Chinese dynasties and the Roman Empire had not yet come into being. None of the founders of Christianity, Judaism, or Islam had yet been born. That was a trillion seconds ago -- and we are talking about trillions of dollars.

Holy smokes! That brought it to life for me.

That's not a trillion minutes ago, or hours ago....that's seconds. A second is virtually nothing, but a trillion of them added together going back in time takes us to the days of pre-writing and pre-reading mankind.

Cripes!

So let's take the next step...

Apply that "trillion visualization" to our national debt. Here's the U.S. National Debt Clock, in real time:

(WARNING: Do not click if you are easily outraged and driven to murderous thoughts when pondering your kids' future!)

U.S. National Debt Clock

THIS is why folks like me are compelled to drive this nation BACK to its founding document and principles. Limited government is the only solution... period.

3 things must be done. ALL must be done or we have disaster looming.

1. We're gonna have to CUT tax rates across the board in order to grow the economy. This will fuel prosperity and INCREASE revenues to the Federal Government.

2. We're gonna have to CUT spending across the board at the Federal level. This, coupled with the higher tax revenues from increased prosperity, will bring us back from annual deficits into surplus territory.

3. That surplus then MUST be used to pay down debt. If not, we're back in the same "debt boat" before we know it. (This will take fiscal discipline our current politicians don't have... a BIG pile of $$ sitting in D.C. is too tempting. Vote 'em out.)

More on this topic later.

For now, though, beware of this temptation:

Many politicians will say we have to "raise taxes on the rich". Their definition of "rich" is subjective, but that's not the main point...

The main point is this: At some point the rich get up and leave. They take their "wealth" and stop using it to produce. This then ripples through the economy, destroying prosperity.

Raising tax rates on the rich is a surefire way to destroy American prosperity.

Politicians who advocate this are either ignorant or have decided to play the "Class Warfare Game" to get elected and stay in office.

It's tempting, I know, but don't fall for it. "Class Warfare" is a fool's game.

It may feel good, but it won't solve the problem... and that's the Multi-Trillion Dollar bottom line.