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Author: Subject: What's in a billion?...
NeilP

posted on 1/2/10 at 05:06 PM Reply With Quote
What's in a billion?...

Got this in an email...

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 did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of it's releases.

A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

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

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

E. 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 License Tax
Income Tax
Unemployment Tax
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Petrol/Diesel Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
(tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Marriage License Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Local Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

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 stayed home to raise the kids.

What the hell happened?????






If you pay peanuts...
Mentale, yar? Yar, mentale!
Drive it like you stole it!

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Confused but excited.

posted on 1/2/10 at 05:11 PM Reply With Quote
"True, but it's not like they waste it."

That's me being sarcastic that is.





Tell them about the bent treacle edges!

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carpmart

posted on 1/2/10 at 05:12 PM Reply With Quote
To answer the last question, 'what the hell happened', well to my mind, it sure isn't progress!





You only live once - make the most of it!


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Richard Quinn

posted on 1/2/10 at 05:24 PM Reply With Quote
It's interesting but, sure as hell, not funny!
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James

posted on 1/2/10 at 05:25 PM Reply With Quote
This must be an American thing and they've changed dollars to pounds.

We don't have half those taxes for a start!



I've always loved the quotation:
"A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money. "
by Senator Everett Dirksen


Cheers,
James





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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." - Muhammad Ali

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stevec

posted on 1/2/10 at 05:28 PM Reply With Quote
There are people in Coventry still struggling with "D" in your list.
Steve.

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ian86

posted on 1/2/10 at 05:36 PM Reply With Quote
I make a billion seconds ago to be 1978.
and there using the american billion, one thousand million unlike the true one million million that it is. Wounder what one the politicians are using? hope it' the first!!!

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twybrow

posted on 1/2/10 at 05:38 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by James
This must be an American thing and they've changed dollars to pounds.

We don't have half those taxes for a start!



And income tax has been around for 200 years in this country... A temporary tax to fight Napolean with!

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James

posted on 1/2/10 at 05:48 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ian86
I make a billion seconds ago to be 1978.
and there using the american billion, one thousand million unlike the true one million million that it is. Wounder what one the politicians are using? hope it' the first!!!


hehe, I worked it to be 1979. Good it's not just me being weird then! lol!





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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." - Muhammad Ali

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Peteff

posted on 1/2/10 at 05:50 PM Reply With Quote
This has been doing the rounds in one form or another since about 2003. It is American in origin and keeps getting dragged back up like when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.





yours, Pete

I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.

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blakep82

posted on 1/2/10 at 06:12 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by James
quote:
Originally posted by ian86
I make a billion seconds ago to be 1978.
and there using the american billion, one thousand million unlike the true one million million that it is. Wounder what one the politicians are using? hope it' the first!!!


hehe, I worked it to be 1979. Good it's not just me being weird then! lol!


yeah, i was just thinking about that. because if its 41 years, and a billion minutes ago jesus was still alive, well 41 x 60 is like 2460, so it doesn't work out





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Hellfire

posted on 1/2/10 at 06:30 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ian86
........and there using the american billion, one thousand million unlike the true one million million that it is. Wounder what one the politicians are using? hope it' the first!!!


Since 1974, the UK government have referred to 1 billion as 1,000,000,000

Phil






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ian86

posted on 1/2/10 at 06:48 PM Reply With Quote
quote:Originally posted by ian86
........and there using the american billion, one thousand million unlike the true one million million that it is. Wounder what one the politicians are using? hope it' the first!!!



Since 1974, the UK government have referred to 1 billion as 1,000,000,000

Phil


Good to know those billionaires aren't as rich as i thought they were.

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designer

posted on 1/2/10 at 07:03 PM Reply With Quote
The 'public purse' has killed this country.

All these 'taxes' are to pay public purse pensions!

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rf900rush

posted on 1/2/10 at 09:01 PM Reply With Quote
Oh Crap
That makes me over 1.5billion seconds old

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smart51

posted on 1/2/10 at 10:08 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by NeilP
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago...
And our nation was one of the most prosperous in the world.



As a nation, true. In 1910, half the population lived in back to back slums and their weekly wage wasn't enough to pay for rent, food, clothing and bog roll. You had to choose which to do without.
The vast majority of the wealth was owned by people on million pound estates (at 1910 prices).
There was no NHS so if you were ill and couldn't afford the doctor, you stayed ill.
There was no state pension, so unless you got one through work, you had to work until you died, which would be before 60 if you were a man.
There was no unemployment benefit. If you didn't work you could starve or go to the work house, which was worse.
There were no job centres or recruitment agencies for the common man. You had to wait outside a factory in the morning and hope they gave you a day's work, or know someone who knew someone...

Sure, there were fewer taxes but you got nothing given to you by the state except education until the age of 13.

Be under no illusion, it is far better for you and me now than it was 100 years ago.

[Edited on 1-2-2010 by smart51]






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JoelP

posted on 2/2/10 at 07:41 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by smart51
quote:
Originally posted by NeilP
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago...
And our nation was one of the most prosperous in the world.



As a nation, true. In 1910, half the population lived in back to back slums and their weekly wage wasn't enough to pay for rent, food, clothing and bog roll. You had to choose which to do without.
The vast majority of the wealth was owned by people on million pound estates (at 1910 prices).
There was no NHS so if you were ill and couldn't afford the doctor, you stayed ill.
There was no state pension, so unless you got one through work, you had to work until you died, which would be before 60 if you were a man.
There was no unemployment benefit. If you didn't work you could starve or go to the work house, which was worse.
There were no job centres or recruitment agencies for the common man. You had to wait outside a factory in the morning and hope they gave you a day's work, or know someone who knew someone...

Sure, there were fewer taxes but you got nothing given to you by the state except education until the age of 13.

Be under no illusion, it is far better for you and me now than it was 100 years ago.

[Edited on 1-2-2010 by smart51]


there's always one who lets reality ruin a good moan!






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smart51

posted on 2/2/10 at 07:49 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
there's always one who lets reality ruin a good moan!


Plenty of true things to moan about, why waste time on anything else!






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woodster

posted on 2/2/10 at 10:20 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by James
This must be an American thing and they've changed dollars to pounds.

We don't have half those taxes for a start!



I've always loved the quotation:
"A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money. "
by Senator Everett Dirksen


Cheers,
James



we maybe not have some of those taxes in name but we have VAT which covers those and many more ....... tax on top of tax on top of tax....

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Ninehigh

posted on 5/2/10 at 10:44 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by James
quote:
Originally posted by ian86
I make a billion seconds ago to be 1978.
and there using the american billion, one thousand million unlike the true one million million that it is. Wounder what one the politicians are using? hope it' the first!!!


hehe, I worked it to be 1979. Good it's not just me being weird then! lol!


I know a million seconds is just under 2 weeks. So call it a fortnight, and 26 of them in a year... I make a (US billion) seconds ago about 38.5 years, somewhere June-ish 1972... Then again in reality I'm a few million seconds out in that, but still should be about 6 months.

Oh and when Mock The Week asked them if they were using the British Billion or the American one they had to go and check... And they were talking on the news today about rebuilding our trust in them. Wouldn't trust them to run a bath!






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Toltec

posted on 5/2/10 at 11:12 PM Reply With Quote
Watching Empire of the seas by any chance?

quote:
Originally posted by twybrow


And income tax has been around for 200 years in this country... A temporary tax to fight Napolean with!

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