Weighing Obama's Stimulationism

If there’s one thing we know, it’s that you have been on pins and needles waiting for our take on Obama’s stimulus plans.

We aim to please, so let’s get to it.

Let’s start with this observation by Victor Davis Hanson in the Corner:

For just one week we should ban the verb "stimulate" and the noun "stimulus" — and substitute instead the more honest "borrow," or "print," or "debt"; as in "The government plans to borrow another $1 trillion for the economy," or "The administration today decided to print another $300 billion in cash." Or "Congress met to consider a $1 trillion debt program." But as it is now, the euphemisms only take us ever more distant from reality, as trillions of dollars are bandied about as if they were mere five and tens in the government wallet.

While Hanson helpfully offers the suggestion that we speak of the “stimulus” in more honest terms financially, we have a suggestion of our own, in light of that last sentence.

Before Christmas, we had this headline:

Obama team weighs up to $850 billion economic jolt

Now, we’re up to this:

Obama weighs $1T plan to jolt economy

Now speaking of being helpful – we are earnestly endeavoring to be helpful – let us aid Obama in his efforts to weigh the debt program of borrowing freshly printed cash to jolt the economy that he is considering.

Literally.

Each dollar bill, regardless of denomination, weighs one gram. One gram equals 0.0352739619 ounces.

So how much does $1,000,000,000,000.00 weigh?

Ones = 2,204,622,618.75 lbs

Fives = 440,924,523.75 lbs

Tens = 220,462,261.875 lbs

Twenties = 110,231,130.9375 lbs

Hundreds = 22,046,226.1875 lbs

The Obama euphemism: "We’re not talking about a ton of money."

Which is technically correct, it’s more like 11,023 tons, if paid in hundreds.

Now imagine the size of that wallet.