There’s already been so many comparisons and attempts to put our federal spending into perspective that I found no harm in contributing one more. The point here was not necessarily to complain about our spending… but to illustrate a very interesting point.
I was recently looking through some amazing pictures taken by the Hubble, Hubble’s Greatest Hits and, how can you not be amazed by, galaxies, stars and the thought of never-ending space?
Remember when we would read in texts about galaxies containing 100’s of billions of stars and other quantities that you could never conceive, let alone try to count to?
It then occurred to me that our country has already spent more dollars than the number of stars in the M74 galaxy above. Hmmm… only about a hundred billion stars? That’s tittly winks! I mean, this either suggests that space is small and manageable or our spending is completely out of control. Can this be true? Numbers we’ve never thought about growing up are now numbers we hear on a daily basis and need to understand how to manage.
What does this mean to us… to our children? I love life, and my country and I appreciate the small things I have and the little gifts life gives to me every day. Are these things going to be around much longer? Can I expect to stick my head out the door tomorrow and breathe clean, safe air?
When I break things down like this, I just wonder. Could you ever have imagined a higher number than one that quantifies the number of stars in a galaxy? Just some rhetoric to get your thoughts flowing, maybe to help keep what means the most to you in perspective, or perhaps just my opportunity to squeak out a rant or two. Have a great weekend!
William Ulysses Morgan is the son of James Wright Morgan and Helen Marr Lambert. He was born on October 11, 1878 and died on Apr 1969. 
…and I wasn’t there for it!
Florence is the daughter of Henry H Holzhause and Alma A. Bunselmeier. She was born on February 23, 1909 in Napoleon, Indiana and died on December 31, 1992 in Hamilton County, Ohio. 
