May 16th, 2008
Just How Big Is A Billion?
One often hears of something costing a couple of Billion and no-one pays attention - one has to wonder if one heard that something is going to cost two thousand million, one would get out the magnifying glass to look closer at how and on what the two thousand million will be spent.
When you hear of something costing billions, what do you think? The democratic candidates proffer their take on how much it will cost to fix health care. Sound bites mentioning $54 Billion, give or take a couple of billion come to mind. It’s the give or take a couple of Billion that troubles me - if one cannot estimate with any certainty better than being one thousand million off estimate - that is not someone I would trust with the nations finances.