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A better comparison would be to take a single person, and put the per capita amount of debt in $100 bills next to them. If you want to get really histrionic, do it with a baby. Still, it won't come up past the ankles (around $15,000).

More like $45k.




Yeah, left off the tens (of trillions) digit when I calculated it.


Just use the debt clock http://www.usdebtclock.org/

It shows $46,571 per citizen and, more importantly, $129,902 per tax payer.


Also note - $1,026,647 unfunded liabilities per tax payer.


Unfunded liabilities over long periods of time should be indexed for inflation: they shrink. this is why it's totally absurd to throw around the unfunded liabilities figures like they're meaningful. In 100 years, at 3% inflation, $1,026,647 will be worth $53,419 2010 dollars. Obviously those liabilities are paid out over time, so that's not a proper indexed figure, but it does give a point of reference.


You're mistaken. Unfunded liabilities are a net present value calculation that factors in a discount rate. They take inflation into account.




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