The next time you hear a politician casually use the word "billion," think about whether or not you want the politician spending your tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into perspective in one of its releases:

a. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

b. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

c. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

d. A billion days ago no-one walked on two feet on earth.

e. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government spends it.