Putting Things in Perspective

$700 billion dollars is a lot of money! How can I as a hard-working, tax-paying, fast-food-eating, Biggest-Loser-watching American possibly fathom that amount of money?

Luckily, CNN has provided me with a comparison that really strikes a chord - McDonald's apple pies. Here's what they said:

"It's 35 times the amount spent on all foreign aide in most years. But it's also as American as apple pie. McDonald's apple pie, that is, 2,000 of them. That's how much $700 billion would buy for every single American."

That's all well and good but what CNN doesn't say is if they're making that calculation based on the 2 for a dollar deal that McDonald's usually sells these highly-demanded treats. Is that $1,000 dollars for every American and thus 2,000 pies or is it actually 4,000 apple pies that we're getting. And another thing: can I get half of my pies as cherry pies?

Next time, make things even easier for us, CNN, and just tell us how many immigrants could be kept out of our country if we gave the money to Lou Dobbs or how much $700 billion amounts to in moose pelts.