A billion is a difficult number to comprehend.

[Grouse]

If I give you $1 billion and you stand on a street corner handing out $1 per second, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, you would still not have handed out $1 billion after 31 years!

Now read on. This is true and rather hard to really understand.

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 its releases.

1. A billion seconds ago, it was 1959.

2. A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive.

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

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

5. A billion Dollars ago was only 13 hours and 12 minutes, at the rate our present government is spending it.