Here’s an interesting analogy in numbers and dollars we can understand.

* U.S. tax revenue             $  2,170,000,000,000
* Fed budget                     $  3,820,000,000,000
* New debt                        $  1,650,000,000,000
* National debt                  $ 14,271,000,000,000
* Recent budget cut            $       38,500,000,000 

Now, simply remove 8 zeros and pretend it's your own personal household budget.

* Annual family income:                      $  21,700
* Money your family spent:                  $  38,200
* New debt on the credit card:              $  16,500
* Outstanding balance on credit card:   $ 142,710
* Total budget cuts:                              $       385

It really brings the issue home, doesn't it?