By Ricky Dana, August 21, 2025
Mark “Awful for Missouri” Alford and his GOP colleagues are not serving the people—they’re serving Trump. Time and again, they rubber-stamp whatever crosses their desks, often without even knowing what’s inside, like with the so-called “Big Bill.” That’s not representation. That’s blind obedience.
When I’m elected to Congress, I won’t play that game. I’ll work to reduce the national debt, cut wasteful spending, and demand accountability for every taxpayer dollar. That means ending giveaways like the Qatari airplane “gift” ✈️ — a plane that will cost U.S. taxpayers over $1 billion to retrofit for use — and stopping absurd projects like Trump’s plan to spend $500 million painting the border wall black so it gets hotter 🌡️. Never mind that migrants use ladders, gloves, or simply walk around it. This is politics as theater, not fiscal responsibility.
It’s the same story with the unaccountable portions of the military budget—billions of which vanish into a void with no explanation. Missourians deserve transparency, not blank checks.
The hidden toll: interest on the national debt 💰
In 2024, the U.S. government’s interest payments on the national debt hit $880 billion, up 34% from the previous year—a record high, and representing about 3.1% of GDP.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates $952 billion in net interest costs in 2025—meaning we will officially pass the $1 trillion mark this year.
By mid-fiscal 2025, the U.S. had already spent $841 billion in interest payments through July—far more than the same stretch in 2024. At this pace, the trillion-dollar milestone is unavoidable 🚨.
This rising interest burden is the fastest-growing part of the federal budget, steadily squeezing funding for schools, healthcare, and rural infrastructure.
A billion—how unimaginable? 💸
Most of us struggle to picture a million. A billion? That’s nearly impossible.
If you saved $100,000 a year, it’d take 10 years to reach a million. But to reach $1 billion, you’d need to save (and keep every penny) for 10,000 years ⏳.
Even assuming one number per second, non-stop counting to a billion would take about 31 years and 251 days — and other estimates put it at over 100 years when factoring in realistic pacing.
That’s why for most of us, a billion dollars feels like a myth. A fantasy. Yet, it’s real—for some.
Why fairness matters ⚖️
Here’s the math: If the wealthiest individuals had many billions—those sums that most of us can’t even grasp—shouldn’t they pitch in more in taxes? Just enough to pull back some of that $1 trillion interest burden, or to fund things like education and infrastructure? So it’s not you, your neighbors, or folks working hard to get by, picking up the tab alone?
This isn’t about envy. It’s about balance. If someone has what looks like an impossible fortune, maybe that means they’ve had an easier path—and have room to help others walk a little less burdened.
In plain terms 📝
- Mark Alford and GOP cronies are rubber-stamping Trump’s agenda without reading it.
- The government is paying over $1 trillion a year in interest on debt.
- At $100k/year, 10 years gets you a million; 10,000 years gets you a billion.
- Counting to a billion takes decades—even at one number a second.
- That’s why the gap between rich and middle class feels so real—and why tax fairness matters.
Call to action 📢
Let’s be honest with ourselves: the debt-interest ship is only going one way—up. We need to ask tough questions: Why are interest payments so high? What can be done to lower them? And if the burden is rising, who can reasonably shoulder more of it?
We don’t need rubber stamps. We need fairness. We need responsibility. And yes—we need to keep talking about money that’s so big most of us can barely imagine it.
Let’s stop pretending “a billion” is beyond our reach—and maybe work toward a world where it isn’t just the wealthiest and the politicians who serve them that hold that kind of power over our future.
Sources:
Peter G. Peterson Foundation – What Are Interest Costs on the National Debt?
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget – Interest on the Debt to Grow Past $1 Trillion Next Year
Peter G. Peterson Foundation – Monthly Interest Tracker
Infoplease – How long to count to a billion (one per second)
Math Is Fun – Count to a Billion Estimation (100+ years)
Investopedia – How long to make a billion at average income
Associated Press – Trump Border Wall Costs and Spending