The US Government Will Kindly Accept Any and All Donations

According to TreasuryDirect, this is the second highest total on record behind the $3,063,057.05 that was donated in 2009.
The US government makes it very easy to donate through their Pay.gov site - in fact, you can choose to donate using your checking account or credit card, just in case you are feeling extra generous today.
Let's take a look at how much money people have donated to help pay down the US public debt over the past number of years:
2011 (YTD) - $406,606.00
2010 - $2,840,466.75
2009 - $3,063,057.05
2008 - $2,189,358.89
2007 - $2,624,862.42
2006 - $1,646,209.41
2005 - $1,455,541.65
2004 - $664,911.25
2003 - $1,277,423.40
2002 - $744,675.06
2001 - $1,645,082.28
2000 - $1,868,891.93
1999 - $1,457,510.59
1998 - $1,535,541.02
1997 - $955,897.15
1996 - $1,985,175.10
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As mentioned, the US government received over $2.84 million in donations in 2010 that were used to help pay off the debt load of the country.
Let's put that number into perspective.
The United States spent $197 billion on net interest during the 2010 fiscal year. This means that the US spent $539.7 million on net interest each and every day during the fiscal year. This means that the US spent $22.49 million on net interest in each hour of every day during the 2010 fiscal year. This means that the United States spent $374,833 on net interest in each minute of every day during the 2010 fiscal year.
So, that $2.84 million that was donated to help the debt repayment cause during 2010? That money went towards 7 1/2 minutes worth of interest.
Source: TreasuryDirect.gov - Gift Contributions to Reduce Debt Held By The Public
Filed under: General Knowledge