• Optional@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        No, “half” sounds like half. 500 of something sounds like more than half of something. (Yes, trillion > billion, we’re not debating the actual facts - which are the same either way - just the way it’s perceived in a headline)

        Half of dinners. 500 meals. Half a car. 500 auto parts. Half of all dealerships. 500 independent dealers. etc.

          • That Annoying Vegan@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            1 day ago

            truly disgusting. I saw an article that fElon and Drumpf are taking away payments that orphans get because they have no parents. Meanwhile, half a trillion is probably being redistributed to fElon and drumpf.

            • frostysauce@lemmy.world
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              22 hours ago

              You didn’t see an article, you saw a screenshot of a tweet. As far as I can tell that was a lie. We should not be spreading lies when there are enough true horrible things they have done we could be talking about.

              Unless I’m wrong and you’re the one person on Lemmy that actually saw an article supporting that claim. I’d like to be wrong, if I am could you please link the article?

      • Nightwatch Admin@feddit.nl
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        2 days ago

        Be that as it may, it’s a significant amount of money that will not be collected but will now trickle down… excuse me, I have a very hard time keeping a straight face hahaha

      • Optional@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        I think it’s the opposite. We’re all used to “a billion” now, even thought we can’t really concieve of it the way we can, say $100. But a trillion is just space money. Just make it a gazillion.

        500 Billion has real competitive traction - people are billionaires, this is more than them, etc. A trillion is something you have nanoparticles of, something very small.

        • Hobbes_Dent@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          “Billion”, sadly, is a term that nowadays conjures an individual human or corporate level figure.

          “Trillion” is an economy level figure and suitably conjures an idea of how fucked up you all are.

          IMHO.

          • HubertManne@piefed.social
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            1 day ago

            yup. especially we like our ancestors for quite some time back have only dealt in thousands back when the richest dealt in millions.

      • adarza@lemmy.ca
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        1 day ago

        it’s the direction the figure is no-doubt going. in six weeks, that estimate will be a lot higher.

        ‘half a trillion’ now is a very fair choice of wording.