The recession lasted about 22 months, longest since 1929-1933 (43 months) but about as long as the 1980 and 1981 recessions combined.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/4120649726/sizes/o/Like the increased time it takes to find a match in the labor market it also takes longer to find a match in the marriage market.
As much as 53 Trillion dollars. 34 trillion for medicare (of which about 8 trillion is prescription drugs) and the rest social security.