[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 3, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H2890]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       WHAT'S A TRILLION DOLLARS?

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in February this House passed two 
bills that are well over $1 trillion: the illusive Stimulus Bill that 
rewards special interest groups, and the Omnibus Appropriations Bill. 
Both were passed.
  There are even more high-dollar government programs being planned in 
back rooms of this Capitol.
  So how much is $1 trillion? Well, it's 1 with 12 zeros behind it. It 
will buy you 36 million Chevrolet Malibus. It's spending $1,000 a day 
at the mall for 2.5 million years. Or it will pay the college education 
for every high school graduate for the next 10 years.
  Mr. Speaker, the problem with this spending is we don't have the 
money, so we're going have to borrow it or raise taxes. Both of those 
are bad ideas. This big government spending spree agenda is not helping 
our economy. The stock market keeps going down. Congress is forcibly 
taking money from Americans to spend on programs that don't work, and 
also acquiring debt that Americans yet to be born will have to pay for.
  And that's just the way it is.

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