Can You Spend $3 Trillion?

May 9, 2008

There is a new game on the Internet (which I found via Ecorazzi) that lets you spend $3 trillion--the projected cost of the Iraq War according to Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard lecturer Linda Bilmes.

I gave it try. Here's what I spent it on:

Gave all single mothers a helping hand
Increased sustainable organic produce in the U.S.
Provided food, shelter and vet care for unwanted pets
Gave every teacher a raise
Ended third world debt
Helped Iraqi children
Gave $1 million to the needy
Doubled the National Park Service budget for a year
Paid for the world to comply with the Kyoto protocols
Achieved universal literacy
Gave universal health care to every American
Ended world hunger for a year
Housed America's homeless
Cured 2 deadly diseases
Switched the U.S. to solar power
Ended hunger and poverty-related diseases
Helped all orphans

And all that only cost $2,840,784,003,071.51. I had money left over to buy some rawhide bones for the dogs and add a room onto the house for the new baby, plus much, much more.

What would you buy for $3 trillion? Play the game here.