Opportunity Cost
What ten trillion dollars can buy
by Wellington Grey

When George W. Bush took office, there was a
budget surplus. He reversed this trend and went
on the biggest spending spree in US history.
The national debt recently
passed 10 trillion dollars.

The United States owes more dollars than
there are stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Rather than wars and bailouts, what
else could we do with 10 trillion dollars?

We could connect, educate and empower every
man, woman and child with their own solar
powered, mesh-network laptop.

We could connect, educate and empower every
man, woman and child with their own solar
powered, mesh-network laptop.
...and still give them 1,300 dollars each.

Or we could liposuction the 64% of Americans
and their children who are overweight or obese.

In 2003, the population of Iraq was 24 million.
Instead of sending them our army, we
could have given each Iraqi $420,000.

Or we could rebuild
the Twin Towers...

Or we could rebuild ...entirely out
the Twin Towers... of pennies.

Or we could rebuild ...entirely out
the Twin Towers... of pennies.
It would be better than the hole
in the ground we still have.

While we’re at it, we
could also build the
pentagon out of pennies...

While we’re at it, we
could also build the
pentagon out of pennies...
And the Empire
State Building...

While we’re at it, we
could also build the
pentagon out of pennies...
And the Empire
State Building...
And the whole of
New York City and
Washington DC.

While we’re at it, we
could also build the
pentagon out of pennies...
And the Empire
State Building...
And the whole of
New York City and
Washington DC.
In fact, we could cover
the United States
completely in pennies
18 cm deep.

The estimated
cost of a manned
mission to Mars
is $120 billion.

The estimated
cost of a manned
mission to Mars
is $120 billion.
We could go
there and back
again 83 times.

Want to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions? Like hybrid cars?
Every American could get one.

Want to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions? Like hybrid cars?
Every American could get one.
Every Canadian and Mexican, too.

10 trillion buys 37 petawatt of solar power.
Twice what the world needs.

4 years at Harvard costs about $130,000. 10
trillion dollars gets 306 million years tuition.
Every American could go for 1 year.

4 years at Harvard costs about $130,000. 10
trillion dollars gets 306 million years tuition.
Every American could go for 1 year.
Or each of the 2.5 million US prisoners
could be incarcerated there for 122 years.

You could increase the National Science
Foundation’s budget by a factor of ten, and
completely fund it for the next 166 years.

In the 1970s W.H.O.
eliminated smallpox
for the cost of 1 trillion
dollars in today’s
currency.
We could fund 10 such
programs with 10
trillion dollars.
Smallpox killed 500 million
people in the 20th Century.

In the 1970s W.H.O.
eliminated smallpox
for the cost of 1 trillion
dollars in today’s
currency.
We could fund 10 such
programs with 10
trillion dollars.
Smallpox killed 500 million Which diseases would
people in the 20th Century. you eradicate?

George W. Bush: The
most costly mistake in
American history.

Slideshow by Wellington Grey at
Credits: http://www.WellingtonGrey.net
by Army.mil at http://www.flickr.com/
photos/soldiersmediacenter/1027863995/
by Odalaigh at http://www.flickr.com/
photos/odalaigh/2332401466/
by skycaptaintwo at http://flickr.com/
photos/skycaptaintwo/96522428/

by Extra Medium at http://
www.flickr.com/photos/johnmueller
by One Laptop Per Child at http://
www.flickr.com/photos/olpc/2928908291/
by Malias at http://flickr.com/
photos/malias/86009411/
All photographs not credit are public domain works
from the United States government.