How much is that in Apollos?

Bill in Mill Creek, WA — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:33:25 GMT

This is "The Great American Bank Robbery".

$892 billion to date. That is what it is costing us now. Where does it go? We still do not know who is getting it or what exactly it is buying.

How much is that in Apollos?

Danny - Salt Lake City, UT — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:33:40 GMT

As long as they are smart with what they are doing and the Treasury Dept. makes some money off this investment I'm all for it.

How much is that in Apollos?

One more please — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:54:08 GMT

Manhattan Project?

[ALAN ADDS: Strangely enough, I have the answer to that one: $20 billion in 1996 dollars:]

http://www.brookings.edu/projects/
archive/nucweapons/manhattan.aspx

How much is that in Apollos?

L. Beard, La Mirada, CA — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:59:21 GMT

Divvy it up to the people instead of the failing institutions!
I read it would be close to $250 thousand per person, 18+...there would be no depression, no foreclosures, and definitely an economic stimuli!

How much is that in Apollos?

Woodinville, WA — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:06:27 GMT

I LOVE THIS IDEA. Only thought: need to have the scales on the right be consistent. 1 of each unit on the left needs to equal 10 or 20 or 50 or 100 units on the right. Unit doesn't matter -- just that they are the same as they move up.

[ALAN ADDS: Well, you can look at this two ways: One way is to say that we have pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half-dollars and dollars that don't always go up in equal increments. The other way is to add just one more unit that comes close to what you suggest. Let's call $100 million a "falcon," named in honor of the rocket SpaceX's Elon Musk developed with that initial investment. Then you have 1 falcon = 4 allens ... 1 shuttle = 10 falcons ... 1 LHC = 10 shuttles ... and 1 Apollo = 10 LHCs. Of course, a Falcon 1 launch (at $8 million) costs far less than a falcon. That would be 0.125 falcons (13 falconcents?) or 0.32 allens (32 allencents?).

How much is that in Apollos?

Frank Glover, Rocheter, NY — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:13:49 GMT

Because of the 'billions and billions' cliche, some have said a billion anything should be referred to as a 'Sagan.'

On the other hand, Sen. Everett Dirksen, who once commented; "A billion here, a bilion there, and sooner or later, you're talking about real money.' has led to a 'Dirksen' as 1 billion US dollars...

How much is that in Apollos?

Alan Boyle — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:29:41 GMT

To figure out how inflation has affected big-project costs, you can plug numbers into this inflation calculator:

http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi

For example, if you try this with the Manhattan Project's cost ($20 billion in 1996 dollars), you'll find that it equals $26 billion in 2007 dollars. That's 26 shuttles or a roughly a quarter of an Apollo. This comes in handy when you're trying to figure out whether you support a "Manhattan Project for energy independence" or an "Apollo program for energy independence."

How much is that in Apollos?

Patrick — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:38:45 GMT

Unit mismatch error detected, Alan.

Top unit Bailout listed as billions, end of message ...Does all this make you feel better about the $700 million, or worse?

Have a nice weekend!

[ALAN ADDS: Sheesh! Got that fixed, Patrick, I can't tell you how many times I wanted to switch m's and b's in these figures. Thanks for setting me straight, and have a good weekend yourself!]

How much is that in Apollos?

Alan Boyle — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:41:43 GMT

... And a little more detail. Assuming that the figures cited here are in 1970 dollars ...

http://www.historyshots.com/Space/backstory.cfm#cost

Cost of the Mercury program in 2007 dollars would be $2 billion, cost for Gemini would be $6.3 billion, and cost for Apollo would be $132 billion.

How much is that in Apollos?

Denver, CO — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:55:05 GMT

L. Beard, learn how to do math.

700,000,000,000 / 225,000,000 = $3,111

hardly worth getting excited over. 225 million number from census.gov based on 2006 population estimate of 298,398,484 with 24.6% of those being under 18. 225 million is low but within a million.

actually think about what's behind those emails you've been reading.

How much is that in Apollos?

steve smyth — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:55:59 GMT

Playing with numbers makes it seem like everything from before was a bargain.
Why not just solve the entire crisis by dropping one zero from the end of every dollar amount mentioned...around the world...every bank...every national currency.
What's a zero?
Nobody would worry.
It's like buying a $900 mattress so you can 'save' $300 over the competition's offer...same, same, eh?
We are amazing creatures!

How much is that in Apollos?

Steve R — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:05:09 GMT

L. Beard, unfortunatly that "$250 thousand per person, 18+..." figure is not accurate. The government early this year provided a 500 billion stimulus, basically writing a check split between every taxpayer. In the end each taxpayer got between 300 and 600 dollars from it, although if you had children you could have recieved a bit more. A 700 billion bonus, even if equaly split only between people over 18, would most likely be worth less then one months rent, not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

How much is that in Apollos?

William Wood — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:22:38 GMT

Here's one that may not make the figures any much more comprehensible but it gives a good visual: 700 billion is 7 times the number of stars in our galaxy!

How much is that in Apollos?

Noah, St. Petersburg, Florida — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:28:57 GMT

At least the $100 billion spent on the Apollo resulted in something awe inspiring that brought hopes and dreams to everyone on the planet during the era and even up to today. I want to know how $700 billion to Wall St. is going to inspire me to reach for my dreams.

How much is that in Apollos?

Roger, Aurora, CO — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:29:08 GMT

How many trips to Mars and back is that...???

How much is that in Apollos?

pex — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:30:53 GMT

1 allen = $25 million...
1 Alan = Priceless

How much is that in Apollos?

Courtney, Seattle, WA — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:38:03 GMT

Millions, Billions, whats it really mater its not REAL money (its just taxpayer money)... Plus it doesn't get us any closer to setting up the a moon base! or the elevator to nowhere - errr I mean elevator to space! wonder how many Apollo's or budget's it would take to get us established on the moon?

How much is that in Apollos?

Richard, Eugene, OR — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:38:08 GMT

L. Beard, La Mirada, CA wrote: " Divvy it up to the people instead of the failing institutions!
I read it would be close to $250 thousand per person, 18+...there would be no depression, no foreclosures, and definitely an economic stimuli!"

Do a little math. Supposed the adult population of the US is only 200 million, then divide that number into 700 billion, and you end up with $3500 per person. Whoever gave you the $250k number is a real idiot. Unless, maybe, they think that 98.5% of the adults in the country are illegal aliens. Yeah, that's got to be it, lets send them all back to Mexico. Then there will only be 2.8 million of us to fill all of the jobs in the US. Boy, we wouldn't be worried about minimum wage laws then, would we.

How much is that in Apollos?

Brett, Cambridge, MA — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:55:28 GMT

Let's take a look at the two biggest companies in the world and see how that compares to the $700 billion investment in a bailout that should return some $ to the taxpayers and might even turn a profit:

Walmart (in billions)
$378 sales
$12 profit
$235 market capitalization
$64 stockholders' equiy

Exxon Mobil (in billions)
$372 sales
$40 profit
$404 market capitalization
$121 stockholders' equiy

Suddenly the bailout numbers don't look so large. If this is an investment in distressed banks and financial companies, it is smaller than the market capitalization of just those two companies.

How much is that in Apollos?

Ed — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:02:22 GMT

Whoever thinks that the US Government is going to get any money back from this deal must also believe in Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.

How much is that in Apollos?

George Kenna, Providence RI — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:24:28 GMT

I'd feel much better if Warren Buffet had oversight of the project.

How much is that in Apollos?

Brian, Anchorage, AK — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:33:18 GMT

I imagine that 7 apollos would get us more in return then one bailout bill.

I would say the apollo program was worth at least 2 trillion in GDP today in products and technology leaps.

How much is that in Apollos?

Pam, Las Vegas, NV — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:33:42 GMT

Let's not forget, Treasury has already loaned $400 billion to banks and $130 billion to money markets at 2.25% in the last week, so the price is now already over $1.3 trillion ... and rising by the minute. So, divvy that up to households (forget individuals), reduce their mortgage rates to 2.25%, we'll be solvent overnight, and the arteries will be liquid. Magic.

How much is that in Apollos?

E. Rieck — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:53:29 GMT

What if we (The USA) told the countries of the world that they had to pay us back for all the money we have loaned them. How much would that be. Even if we got half of it back it would be more then enough to pay off the national debit and have some left over.

How much is that in Apollos?

homeless — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:02:29 GMT

In 2001, I had a good job with a $42,0000 salary.
The cost of housing increased so fast that I could not afford a house. I told my boss that I needed a 50% raise or I would have to move away. The boss didn't believe it, so I left. In 2006 I had a good job with a $72,000 salary. The cost of housing increased so fast that I could not afford a house. I told my boss that I needed a 100% raise or I would have to move away. The boss didn't believe it, so I left. Now, I hope my former bosses are watching the news because; $700,000,000,000 to bail out an industry, not because of bad mortgages but because of overpriced housing, I don't mind saying I told you so! These real estate investors are domestic enemies, traitors!

How much is that in Apollos?

JC, Fairbanks, AK — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:23:13 GMT

Actually more like $3000-$4000, L Beard, but still a lot of money. And this whole idea of "trickle down" is neocon [B.S.]; the money SHOULD be given to CONSUMERS who will SPEND it not HOARD it; who will pay mortgage bills, thus boosting the value of those garbage "securities" those a******s invented, and keep themselves in their houses. THAT would stimulate the economy a helluva alot more than giving it to those like the piece of trash I mention at the bottom of this!

Alan: I'll see your shuttle and raise you 1 Mars rover program . . . oh, that's just pocket change. 1 Sagan should be equal to the number of 1980's high school students who went into science because they watched COSMOS.

Anybody else see that greedy pig of a broker being interviewed on TV who said "we need the money, so give it to us!!" after the first giveaway bill failed? It's a good thing *I* wasn't a passer-by or I mighta gone right one side of that jerk and down the other. I have also heard that Wall Street institutions are already shifting money and debt around to 'position' themselves for the maximum take when the hundreds of billions get made available. Wall Street needs to be put the clamps on - they shouldn't be able to sneeze without approval from 8 different agencies, and me.

How much is that in Apollos?

Bev — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:00:13 GMT

I'd feel better if we used exponential notation for $700-billion, or $7.00x10(11). I mean, 7 and 11 aren't that big, are they? And they're lucky, too!

How much is that in Apollos?

Douglas, San Diego, California — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:46:34 GMT

Bill, from Mill Creek, has spoken the ultimate truth!
"The Great American Bank Robbery".
"While the sheep sleep the Coyotes are hunting" (DW)

How much is that in Apollos?

Charles B, Portland OR — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:51:50 GMT

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another ...

Sounds familiar?

Here’s an idea: Let’s separate ourselves from the District of Columbia. Our former impotent and incompetent politicians, and government beauraucracy, will be blocked from entering the United States. That will leave those morons only 70 or so square miles to mismanage.

Any innocent resident of Washington, DC can apply to the United States for Political Asylum.

All of the greedy Wall Street Bankers, Real Estate Developers and anyone else responsible for this mess, will be deported to DC.

How much is that in Apollos?

Douglas, San Diego, California — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:56:10 GMT

Oh - one more thing, at this rate we will all be selling chicklets and White Elephantes at the border crossing into the US, si es possible, brush up on your Spanish people you will be working for Mexico very soon and happy to do so.

How much is that in Apollos?

jim loconto — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:04:30 GMT

who ever wins the whitehouse will inherit a mess my company is bankrupt 2850 jobs no one bailed whitehall out

How much is that in Apollos?

Matt — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:07:25 GMT

How about converting it to Zimbabwe Dollars? It will be roughly 103 Trillion. What's a few more zeros?

Friday, October 3, 2008

700,000,000,000 US Dollar = 103,190,332,000,000 Zimbabwe Dollar
700,000,000,000 Zimbabwe Dollar (ZWD) = 4,748,506,866 US Dollar (USD)

Median price = 147.385 / 147.415 (bid/ask)
Minimum price = 144.420 / 144.450
Maximum price = 149.500 / 149.540

FXConverter - Currency Converter for 164 Currencies164 Currency Converter © 1997-2008 by OANDA.com

How much is that in Apollos?

WestHighlander, Lexington, MA — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:18:14 GMT

After the previous week's lesson in how not to do government -- Suppose we just do three things as a people:
1) learn how to do arithmetic -- such as dividing 1T$ / 200 M people == $5,000
2) learn how to read -- we might use the text in the US Constitution including the various and sundry amendments -- focusing on the enumerated powers that the Federal Gov't is given by "We the People"
3) Using our newly acquired or remediated skills -- We make our Representative Government return to what it is supposed to do and leave the rest of the money in our individual pockets -- we might start by voting this November for folks who believe in the above

Westy

PS: the first two things to go once we get back the power: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

How much is that in Apollos?

Matt Carpenter, Roswell Georgia — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:23:47 GMT

This bailout was insane. If I had to spend $700B, I wouldn't bail out the banks.

I read that the total Federal income tax receipts in 2006 were just over $1T. $700B is close enough - how about we cancel federal income taxes for a year?

At $35k a pop, we could put solar panels on 20 million households.

Speaking of energy, couldn't we be well on our way to solving the global warming / transportation problem?

What would free healthcare cost?

How much is that in Apollos?

JB, Flatwoods, Ky. — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:30:32 GMT

I agree 100% with JC from Fairbanks.

How much is that in Apollos?

Jim , Olympia, Wa — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:38:58 GMT

You notice how fast our elected politicians were able to agree to a big spending plan but these same politicians can't come together to cut federal spending

How much is that in Apollos?

Jeff, Atlanta, GA — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:43:18 GMT

Hey Denver, CO,

If they had done 700,000,000,000 / 140,000,000 = $5,000 where 140-million is the number of taxpayers. They could have given taxpayers bank CDs for $5,000 that matured randomly in 3 to 7 years. The banks could have greased the economic skids with those deposits. The taxpayers would know in advance they would not get screwed and in fact would benefit. All taxpayer balance sheets would have been improved. And, the best part is that the financial dudes far-removed from the banks would lose their jobs as they should.

How much is that in Apollos?

chris johnson, austin, tx. — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:50:16 GMT

So basically what you are saying is that the government is throwing away 700 billion dollars comparative to the 100 billion dollar Apollo mission that DID NOT happen.
I am really starting to get the picture on how government works. Tell the people of the U.S. that you are doing good with the money but instead you only give us great pictures and some great stories from astronauts that were supposedly there. Next time use a different analogy!!

How much is that in Apollos?

Zenshadow — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 04:35:00 GMT

" I'd feel much better if Warren Buffet had oversight of the project."

Do the Math George. $700B = 5,054,152
BRK-A [Berkshire Hathaway's Stock (BRK-A) value of 138,500.00 per share (has never split)]

So, we can say that $700B is 5 Million BRK's (or my fav: $5M Buffets)

How much is that in Apollos?

Mike, Kevil, KY — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:14:39 GMT

The size of this bailout is proof that some of our currency is now obsolete and needs to be abandoned. Specifically, the fraction of a dollar currency needs to be eliminated.

We used to have the mil that was equavilent to 1/1,000 of a dollar (a tenth of a cent). The Coinage Act (1792) describes milles and other subdivisions of the dollar. The mil currency has been abandoned long ago. Now it is time for the penny and nickel to go.

It is no longer necessary nor useful to subdivide the dollar into one-hundredths. Only small candies and cheap trinkets can now be bought for less than a dollar. Add a couple of small bites to the package and it will also cost at least a dollar each.

Why manufacture nickels or pennys? The Mint estimated it costs 1.23 cents per penny and 5.73 cents per nickel in fiscal year 2006 (USA Today) because of the skyrocketing metals prices. The cost to melt and separate the metals in the pennys and nickels is the only reason that this is not done by everyone for a profit! The mint is the only federal agency that makes a profit. This is yet another "hidden tax." The profit capability from manufacturing dimes and quarters is present because it still costs less for the mint to manufacture dimes and quarters than the face value of these coins.

In 2005 over $760 billion of US cash was in circulation. As of December 2006, the euro cash in circulation was more than $991 billion.

Today, our currency is printed in bills in denominations of $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. At one time our currency included five larger denominations: $500, $1,000, and $5,000 interest bearing notes in 1861, and $10,000 gold certificates in 1865 and the $100,000 Gold certificate from 1934.

High-denomination bills were last printed in 1945 and officially discontinued on July 14, 1969. The $5,000 and $10,000 effectively disappeared well before then: there are only about 200 $5,000 and 300 $10,000 bills known, of all series since 1861. (www.nationmaster.com)

With our governmnets (state and federal) and companies like WalMart and ExxonMobile now talking in terms of $700b, and single digit Trillions (tens and hundreds of trillions soon to come), we now need to return to the larger denominations of US currency and abandon the pennies and nickels.

A $500 bill may buy two nights hotel lodging in Bethesda, MD tonight. It is not uncommon anymore for a dinner for two to cost more than $100. Having larger denominations of US currency will be much easier on the wallet thickness and reduce the need for credit or debit cards. I have always enjoyed laying out cash for my purchases. I get a certain amount of pride and satisfaction knowing that I have worked hard to earn the "cold hard cash" I'm spending. That prid simply isn't there when my plastic is "swiped."

Everything moves up in price ever single year (Inflation). The lower end of our currency is now obsolete and needs to be abandoned, as evidenced by the shear size of the bailout.

How much is that in Apollos?

Barry Hofstetter, Ambler, PA — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 06:24:13 GMT

Some people are always complaining that the NASA budget would be better spent on social engineering projects. How much better if this money were spent on NASA!

How much is that in Apollos?

I Doe know — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 06:42:50 GMT

From a European perspective, America has been bankrupt for decades but it looks like now it's all over and the very fat americain lady is singing! What a shame because the world needed america when we have opposite us the likes or Russia & China. Now America will end up in the same ranks of Brazil (the debt being paid back). Europe goes it alone to bring liberty, freedom, democracy ...bla bla bla

How much is that in Apollos?

I Doe know — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 06:44:12 GMT

I got 20 Euros in my pocket to bail out America :)

How much is that in Apollos?

WmDavid Maryland — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:20:08 GMT

This wall st. thing reminds me of my neighbors kids(yes their are republicans). They pillage and plunder any area they enter and when they do not get their way they scream or kick, hold their breath or pout until they get what they want. Sound familiar..........?

How much is that in Apollos?

Eric, Salinas, CA — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:18:34 GMT

What's worse than the $810 billion bailout is the waste of $700 billion and rising in Iraq. What we could have had without that useless war? It's a pity that the shuttle is being retired too soon, 5 years before Orion comes on line. I'd like to see money invested into keeping the shuttle going until Orion is finished and ready to launch.

What a pity that we spent $2 billion on our supercollider and then cut and ran from it. We don't even have a prototype fusion generator project like Britain or France.

My biggest regret is that we could have invested in a nationwide mag-lev train system for the money we wasted in Iraq. We are getting to vote on a bullet trian system here in California next month and that's kind fo exciting. It's touted as being over 200 mph so I know we're going after old bullet train tech. A pity we aren't going with the cutting edge mag-lev train system that goes over 300 mph. A nationwide mag-lev train system is what our country should be going for, but we're wasting too much money in Iraq.

We need to stop wasting so much money in Iraq and get with investing in cutting edge technology before we fall behind many other countries.

It's a shame we waste so much money on research into how to kill people faster and so little on real cutting edge science that will help propel us into the 21st Century. We research warbots while the Japanese research robots that help people. Okay, okay they also are researching fembots, but as my generation used to say "Make Love, Not War"!

How much is that in Apollos?

steve smyth — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:28:16 GMT

On a somewhat related topic...in 1984/5 one could purchase a ticket to space from Society Expeditions Project Space Voyage, for the sum total of $52,000...only $5000 down.
Today, Branson's proposed ticket keeps varying...but, it seems to be around $250K.
That's only 5 times the 25 year ago amount...a bargain, eh?
Of course Project Space Voyage kept the deposits (5000 of 'em) and nobody went anywhewre...starting to sound just like Branson...don'tcha think?

How much is that in Apollos?

TechTalk, Chicago, IL — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:48:04 GMT

similar article from Jay Garmon over here:
http://writtenweird.blogspot.com/2008/09/what-could-700-billion-government.html

Real good read, similar conclusions - check it out!

How much is that in Apollos?

Winston, Colorado Springs, CO — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:20:30 GMT

This will give you a much better concept of how much money we're talking about:

How much money are we talking about?

US taxpayers have paid $85 billion to purchase AIG. The Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailouts will run taxpayers at least $200 billion. Now Congress is allowing the Secretary of the Treasury (with little to no oversight, naturally) to transfer $700 billion from the taxpayers to buy “toxic debt” (bad mortgage bonds that financial institutions have on their books that absolutely nobody else wants to buy) from the very companies that precipitated this financial
disaster.

So, the bailouts thus far will cost the taxpayer at least $985 billion. That’s $985,000,000,000.00! A scary number when written out, isn’t it? Scarier still is that many are predicting that this is just the beginning of the bailouts.

Here are a few analogies to give you an idea of how much money that really is:

1. One $100 bill weighs only 3/100ths of an ounce, but $985 billion worth of $100 bills would weight eighteen million, five hundred thousand pounds. The Statue of Liberty weighs four hundred and fifty thousand pounds. If you were to place on one side of a huge balance scale the weight of the money we have spent and are going to spend to bail out reckless Wall Street investors, it would take forty Statues of Liberty to balance it.

2. A $100 bill is only 4/1000ths of an inch thick, but stacked one atop the other, that $985 billion worth of $100 bills would tower 621 miles into space.

3. Spending $1 per second ($3,600 per hour, $86,400 per day, $31,536,000 per year), it would take you 31,234 years to spend that $985 billion.

4. $985 billion is greater than the entire annual gross domestic product (GDP) of Australia in 2007. The GDP is the cost of all goods and services produced within a country in a year down to and including the cost to produce, purchase and consume every hamburger fried and eaten, every stick of gum made and chewed, every toilet cleaned by a hotel maid. Everything.

Finally, in his “Meet the Press” interview on September 21, 2008, the Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson explained what led up to the crisis, “We'd had [financial market] excesses building up for some time in this country. They played out first in terms of bad lending practices, irresponsible borrowing, irresponsible lending; then moved a chain reaction into the financial institutions, illiquid assets; that then has played out into the broader economy.” Shouldn’t the very next question from his interviewer have been, “So, if these excesses have as
you say been building up for some time, why wasn’t something done _some time ago_ to prevent this crisis?”

Unfortunately, that question wasn’t asked.

How much is that in Apollos?

Patrick, Dubuque, IA — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:36:01 GMT

Getting rid of pennie and nickles is just dumb. sales taxes would soon be 20 or 30 cents on the dollar...think people...Unless you love paying more taxes.

How much is that in Apollos?

Zod — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:37:30 GMT

Give them a break. They're doing the best they can, folks.

How much is that in Apollos?

melvin a town, indiana — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:35:55 GMT

it would be smarter to drop 200B in to the space program. this will start jobs rolling. a big push for spin off techs would not hurt.
give the rest to city's to improver there sewer systems. right now city's are going bankrupt trying to redo there combined sewer systems. this would get the EPA off of every towns rear and improve the water quality in the states.

if you add building methane collection at the sewage plants we could fuel the states with natural gas that is renewable. converting city busses and school busses to run on the new fuel source would add to the job market. refueling centers are all ready in place. building new fueling centers will add to the job market.

this would be the biggest works project in the history of the world. with a bunch of benefits, clean water, better fuel source and tons of jobs for years to come. you would be shocked at the number of jobs this would make.

How much is that in Apollos?

Frank Glover, Rochester, NY — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 20:29:55 GMT

Some of us are perfectly willing to draw anologies to facts, Chris.

Where ae yours?

I'm sure the Soviets (who wanted to get there as well), for whom exposing Apollo as a fraud, would mean the greatest propoganda coup of all time, would throw that away, yes?

Oh, that's right. They were in on it too, and comspiracy theorists have better resources than the KGB...

sigh.

One wonders what the excuses will be, when someone *does* get back there? But, getting back on topic, at this rate, NASA will be lucky get the budget to afford to launch an Estes rocket, in a few years...

How much is that in Apollos?

A lee, Bremerton, WA — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 23:39:01 GMT

700 billion with annual budget of 3 trillion or about 1/4 to 1/3 of the annual US budget. By mortgage standards it's not too far off.

How much is that in Apollos?

cgc,wichitafalls,tx. — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:09:01 GMT

Apollo was insane. Aside from the econimic fallout it created, the cost of life success ration should have been enough to stymie the entire project. Regarding the current state of affairs, all this dithering in useless. This entire event was orchestrated long ago :1950's. We will be reduced to an uncomprehesible debt that will be unrecoverable . How does that grab you? look into it . Google freemasons. Start there.

How much is that in Apollos?

William Wood, Eden Prairie, MN — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:25:11 GMT

Dang, Winston. When you conjured the image of the Statue of Liberty on a scale to compare with the weight of $985bil one dollar bills, the first thing that leapt into my mind was dropping all that money on the other end of the scale and seeing Miss Liberty go flying. Apt. I don't imagine her trajectory would put her into orbit, but I bet it'd toss her far enough out into the Atlantic to make a good splash.

How much is that in Apollos?

Bob in Concord, MA, where it all began. — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:03:30 GMT

Seeing the blog from the gentleman who doesn't believe anyone actually went to the Moon made the whole read worthwhile.
Wonder if he knows about The Flat Earth Society.
Get out there and vote, Sir. Yours is the kind of vote we need to keep our country 'on the straight and narrow' !!

How much is that in Apollos?

Roger, Somewhere, Utah — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:34:16 GMT

What do not understand is how we can give money to failed or failing institutions or prop them up by buying their troubled assets. All of this is done to create the flow of money into the credit markets so that these financial entities can prosper (they will definitely charge you interest to borrow this money that you are lending them so that they can lend it back to you.).
The costs to the American public, no matter what terms mathematically you apply to it, is phenomenal. It would seem to me that if the desired outcome was to get money flowing again and the taxpayers were going to foot the bill anyway why not create a new agency that would handle projects that would put the unemployed to work like during the Great Depression.
Since we have highly skilled individuals that are out of work (they must be highly skilled or how else could they afford all those expensive homes), and there are many possible projects like the mag lev trains mentioned above, why not use the money for those purposes.
I may be totally off base, but I just think there might be a better solution to our currect problems than to give Sagans and Sagans of dollars to the greedy, and provide that money to worthwhile tasks and the needy.

How much is that in Apollos?

Qwen — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:12:36 GMT

It’s wasn’t a $700 Billion bailout bill, it was an $850 billion bailout bill. The media steadfastly clings to the 700 number

How much is that in Apollos?

Thomas Ashby, Calgary — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:01:01 GMT

Oh..'ell, they should have just given a million dollars to every affected family to handle this problem.

How much is that in Apollos?

Shuttleman, La Valle, WI — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:20:33 GMT

I'm a guy working 2 jobs making $11 at one 40 hour a week and $7.25 at the other working about 20 hours a week, and I'm barely making it. If you look back about 10 years ago fuel was about $1.00/gallon with the min. wage at $5.25/hr, and now the min. wage is $6.55/hr with the fuel costs soaring over $3 per gallon. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad of an idea to give a little bit of the Bailout money for some of us that NEED bailed out. For instatnce maybe give every household a $100 a week for groceries and other necessities. I also can't help but mention how estatic Mr. Paulson looked when the Bill passed. I think he used to work for one of those big companies that got bailed out.

How much is that in Apollos?

John, Kingsport,TN — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:30:54 GMT

Why does the space program always take the heat? At least the 100B provided AMERICAN jobs for our graduates, trades, and supplying companies for about 10 years.

Better, compare to the Iraq war which has cost around 1.2T (trillion) and helped only a few military related companies and of course the Iraq infrastructure.

How much is that in Apollos?

H. Bowers, Columbus,OH — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:27:46 GMT

I would like to see a list of those in Congress who had the unmitigated gall to include "PORK" projects to a bill that has so many serious consequences. They just couldn't get away from their old spend -spend - spend mentality. If we knew who they were they surely wouldn't be seen around Washington come next election season. Which is probably why we will never know who was responsible.

How much is that in Apollos?

Rick Conrow, Front Royal, Virginia — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:48:46 GMT

We have something called a Constitution, I wonder if teh people in DC have any idea where it is or how to read it. This government meddling in the economy is not within the proper authority of the US Faderal government. Thier chioce to artifically lower borrowing costs is at the heart of the current situation and people want the government to get MORE involved. Good grief.

How much is that in Apollos?

Ken, Sydney, New South Wales — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:50:06 GMT

as a compromise to the shafted tax payers funding the bail out, prosecute & Jail the guilty greedy who created the crisis.

How much is that in Apollos?

Will OK — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 02:25:47 GMT

Give the investors a break or the government?

How much is that in Apollos?

Vern Campbell, Moses Lake, Wash — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:29:25 GMT

Ok, in effect WE the tax payers would be buying home loans that were made under crazy conditions. After WE buy them, WE are going to need to sell them? Sell them to who? They will have to be discounted and sold at surplus? Who is going to buy them, probably the very banks that got bailed out or "International banking".
It seems to me that the banks could re-write those notes so that the home owners DON'T lose them, and sadly for the banks, they break even. Let them work to fix the problem, not just walk away from it.
I agree entirely with the idea that IF we had that kind of money to throw around that there are alot better things to spend it on. Energy, health care, infrastucture, education ... all the things that keep getting cut so that we can expend our resources on the pet projects and dead ended quests dreamed up by people who are so privilaged that they have never known hunger, homelessness, illness, under or un-employment. Spoiled people who can't see how any of us natural born americans could suffer from the above, "just borrow the money from your family".
Its time they learn to live on $10 an hour with no health care and to be told that their incomes are too high for critical assistance.
That is the "American Reality" those who experience the "American Dream" are limited to the upper crust and those who's race or country of origin qualifys them for income under "entitlements" that are twice the income level of the workers that pay for them.
We need to elect common people to government offices and quit trying to get the elite to handle our limited resources with common conservative horse sense, they can't think that way.

"Joe 6-pack for president!"

How much is that in Apollos?

Jim, Boston — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:56:44 GMT

Here is another way to look at it.

Every state and D.C. would each have 16 stacks of dollars that reach all the way into space (62 miles)

How much is that in Apollos?

Everett — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:56:25 GMT

Explaining the meaning of billions and trillions is simply a waste of time. No one will ever understand the meaning of $700 billion.

But anyone can understand that this is about $3k per person.

How much is that in Apollos?

Thestor Cargo — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:45:38 GMT

I don't normally consider myself a conspiracy theorist but I think there's no coincidence that the financial bailout roughly equates to the total cost of the war in Iraq.

How else could the American government afford such a costly investment in the war effort to increase their influence of the oil flows in the Gulf region? Basically they took it out of the mortages of the American public.

Wouldn't it be great if all that money was spent on cooperative space exploration efforts, that benefits all mankind!

How much is that in Apollos?

Kirt, Detroit, MI — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:38:57 GMT

We could have provided every American a great START. By provided every American a house, mortgage free once they turned 18. Not a great house, but a house. There would likely be enough left over to provide college for everyone 18 - 24.

Great job Bush. Do not forget that McCain was one of the primary figures in the 1990's Saving and Loan scandle, but excaped prosecution.

How much is that in Apollos?

Robert, Newport News, Va — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:39:34 GMT

Sorry Zod, they are doing what they always do when they panic, spend our money. If this is their best, then we need to replace them as soon as their terms expire. Maybe with someone concerned more about the country as a whole and not the corporations which funded their campaigns.

Remember the definition of insanity:Doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results each time.

A majority of the population is therefore insane. Voting for the same Republican & Democratic candidates (even if they are different people each time) year after year but expecting different results.

It's time for a sanity check. Vote these people out of office in November, that will make your voice heard.

How much is that in Apollos?

Brian, Pueblo CO — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:10:17 GMT

What's the conversion rate of Apollos to WalMarts? And Europe doesn't do Apollos. What's a Beagle worth?

How much is that in Apollos?

OneVoice, Frederick MD — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:57:53 GMT

I wonder how much interest the Chinese will be charging us on the $810 billion we're borrowing from them for the bailout? People talk about the govt. making a profit in the long run but have they subtracted out the cost to borrow when we're already deeply in debt?

How much is that in Apollos?

Frank Glover, Rochester, NY — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:43:48 GMT

"On a somewhat related topic...in 1984/5 one could purchase a ticket to space from Society Expeditions Project Space Voyage, for the sum total of $52,000...only $5000 down.
Today, Branson's proposed ticket keeps varying...but, it seems to be around $250K.
That's only 5 times the 25 year ago amount...a bargain, eh?"

Of course, Society Expeditions planned to sell rides on a vehicle that never materailzed (and sadly so, I liked the Phoenix SSTO*, and still hope that something like it may yet happen), wheras Virgin Galactic is selling rides on a vecicle that is actually under construction (SS2), and whose basic technologies have already been demonstrated (SS1).

So Steve, is it better to have $52k of nothing, or $250k of something?

* http://www.1000planets.com/papers/phoenix-history.pdf

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Phoenix%22%2B%22ssto%22&aq=f&oq=