Math is hard...
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Joined: Oct 2000
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From: Longmont, CO
Math is hard...
So yesterday, I get this chain email with a brilliant idea. Take the $85 billion AIG loan and divide it between the estimated 200 million US taxpayers 18 years old and older. So we'd each get $425,000 bucks to spend as we see fit. Mortgage, college, new car, investment, whatever.
Ignoring the fact that $85,000,000,000 / 200,000,000 is only $425 per person.
And then this morning, I overheard somebody talking about the brilliant idea of taking the $700 billion bailout package and again dividing it between 200,000,000 Americans, giving us each several million dollars to play with. 700b/200m = 3500.
No wonder the economy is such a mess. "Oh, you mean I can buy a $750k house on $55k salary? That's great!"
Ignoring the fact that $85,000,000,000 / 200,000,000 is only $425 per person.
And then this morning, I overheard somebody talking about the brilliant idea of taking the $700 billion bailout package and again dividing it between 200,000,000 Americans, giving us each several million dollars to play with.
700b/200m = 3500.No wonder the economy is such a mess. "Oh, you mean I can buy a $750k house on $55k salary? That's great!"
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From: Ventura, California, USA
My dad figured it out pretty quickly. I knew it was a farce because if you took 700 billion and divided it by 350 million americans it would be about 2000 dollars/person, so it wouldn't balloon to 400000 if you took only the over 18's.
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From: Longmont, CO
Here's the quote from the email: "So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billion that equals $425,000.00." Regardless of the validity of the 200 million number, the point is that the math is grossly incorrect. (Heck, the even got the divisor and dividend backwards... As posed, the answer would be 0.00235 people per dollar. 
)
(Anyway, in case you're curious, in 2006 135,660,228 returns were filed. Divide $85 billion between them and you still only get about six-hundred bucks.)
)(Anyway, in case you're curious, in 2006 135,660,228 returns were filed. Divide $85 billion between them and you still only get about six-hundred bucks.)
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Joined: Jan 2003
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From: Wylie, TX
The math is wrong, but I don't understand your statement that they got the divisor and dividend wrong.
"Divide 200 million adults into $85 billion equals $425K"
translates to:
"$85billion / 200 million = $425K"
Kinda like 5 goes into 20 4 times.
"Divide 200 million adults into $85 billion equals $425K"
translates to:
"$85billion / 200 million = $425K"
Kinda like 5 goes into 20 4 times.