This puts the U.S. national debt in perspective: • U.S. tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000 • Federal budget: $3,820,000,000,000 • Current deficit: $1,650,000,000,000 • National debt: $14,271,000,000,000 • Budget cuts: $38,500,000,000 Now, let’s remove 8 zeros and pretend it’s a household budget:
• Annual family income: $21,700
• Money the family spent: $38,200
• Additional charges on the credit card: $16,500
• Current credit-card balance: $142,710 • Budget cuts: $385
