Really big numbers
On the TV screen, the station just presented one of those annoying branding ads, pointing out that the potential win for tomorrow night’s lottery drawing. I don’t do lottery; the mathematical odds keep me alert to any scam run at the government level. For the sake of perspective, this time around the windfall would be fourteen million. That’s 14 plus 6 zeros: enough money to fulfill a few dreams in the time I have left. No need for pension fund worries.
Because it’s time we had a degreee of incertitude over anything depending on investment, after the latest round of money troubles in the “markets”. Remember the whole idea of perspective, shall we? The American government, already somewhat in debt over a war thing they’ve got going, has proposed a rescue package for the “markets” estimated at seven billion. That’s 7 plus 9 zeros (or maybe 12; Wiki isn’t completely sure). Let’s go with nine. In other words, a buyout that is the equivalent of 500 simultaneous big wins.
I can’t get my head around any of those numbers. The estimated Canadian national (federal government) debt plus the current budget expenditure runs at about 700 billion. After exchange rates, we could use a buyout like that to put us back in the black with a bit of room for a couple of meals in a restaurant for everybody. I wonder if the gang in Washington would like to buy a country, instead of a bagful of worthless paper dreams? Just musing…
The sad reality is that this buyout is going to reward a gang of financial gamers for really bad judgement. Not exactly punishment to fit the crime.
