What can $7 billion buy?
 

Budget surplus
Justin Thompson, CBC News Online | October 22, 2003

Finance Minister John Manley announced that Canada's budget surplus for the fiscal year 2002-2003 was a whopping $7 billion. The entire amount, he said, will go toward paying down the national debt – keeping it to a projected $510.6 billion by the end of the fiscal year. A noble decision, indeed. On the other hand, this is Canada's sixth straight budget surplus, and debt payments aren't the most exciting way to spend $7 billion. The CBC's Justin Thompson did some window-shopping to see what else Manley could blow the money on.

An embarrassment of riches?

Here's what $7 billion will buy:

A one-time payment of $221.31 to every Canadian citizen.



58,333,333,300 Timbits ($0.12 apiece).


135,295,766 of "the most luxurious (Canadian flags) available" at Canadian Tire ($51.74 apiece after tax).


Every team in the NHL ($6.4 billion), not including player salaries.


23,728,813 hand pumps, each capable of providing an entire village with water, according to UNICEF ($295 apiece).


Another 2,046 senators for 30 years (assuming they don't get tired of their $114,000 base salary and vote themselves a raise).



Canada's national identity card plan (according to an Oct. 2003 Commons committee report)


The National Bank of Canada (Canada's sixth-largest)


13,589 Saleen S7 supercars – the world's most expensive at $515,099.75 apiece. *Freight, admin., lic. and taxes not included.


140 Bombardier Challenger 604 jets at $50 million apiece, the price the Chrétien government paid for two such jets in 2002.


(For those who are a little more shrewd, the money would buy 256 used Challengers, although they would be the 2001 model).


The Canadian Pacific Railway, with a share price value of $5,505,253,093 on October 22, 2003. That would leave enough to buy the Canadian NHL teams for a little over $1 billion.


The 7 most valuable franchises in the NFL (you'll have to secure a loan for the remaining 25).


320,512,821 Gordon Lightfoot Greatest Hits albums (at $21.84 after tax from HMV)


Or just an embarrassment?

As much as $7 billion is, it's chump change compared with:


Annual interest charges on the debt – $37.2 billion (2002-2003)


The $15 billion cash infusion called for by the Romanow Report on health care (2002).


The net worth of Kenneth Thomson and family – $18 billion


The net worth of Bill Gates – $53 billion


The price of a single Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier. According to the U.S. navy, each one costs $30 billion over its lifetime to acquire, operate, support and deactivate. That doesn't include aircraft.


Happiness - priceless

holy shit...
 

damn... 7 billion haha....

Oh man can you imagine what we could do with 7 billion split for all of us?

HAHA i`d still get hella shit...

Re: holy shit...
 

rolleyes: lol you would?

i would give 3 billion to charity, and 3 billion to schools. then i would buy the presidency for 1 billion. then i would get impeached, and thrown in jail due to lack of funds for an attourney stupid:

7 Billion dollars ? I'd say the_finger: to everyone and buy my own little
paradise, inviting a few folks and the cutest girls to form... Blisstonia! ;-)

[quote:14bac]A one-time payment of $221.31 to every Canadian citizen. [/quote:14bac]


i would have settled for that, i could use a few hundred buck

7 billion....hmmm.....A mansion that would shock celebs, OC Connection Till I DIE! i will not have a computer room....but a computer Floor.....the 3rd floor of my mansion will be One of the biggest Home Networks that ever excisted.....when a computer breaks.....move to the next rock:

Go for the Timbits, man...the TIMBITS!!! Especially the sour cream glazed ones...ooooh baby!!! biggrin:

Timbits > all

I'll get that money and turn Canada into an empire recruiting all the poor mercenaries and crazy rebel/terrorists soldiers for cheap prices. And invade the world muhahahah!!!!!! mwah:





*sigh*

I'd pay my tithe's and give all the african americans their reperations check...............................

Wow 7 billion....could use that right now lol

- about 6 B2 bombers

ATi technologies Ltd or if I didn't have enough for that... Savage will do.

what the hell is a timbit?

I knew someone would ask this question.

A timbit is the inside of a Tim Hortons Donut.

[img]http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/budget/gfx/timbits.jpg[/img]
Timbit

[img]http://globaldesignandconst.com/clients/client2/images/mvc-008f.jpg[/img]
Tim Hortons

Krispy Kreme owns that second rate donut shop rock:

That used to be true in the early days. Before the frozen factory bakes came. Now they are made not from the doughnut center but just dough itself.

-I work at Timmy's :)

Yeah, I didn't think they were the actual centers.

Anyway you guys are in a bit of trouble. You freeze your donuts and transport them, while your sign says "Always fresh".

7 billion....Id buy 1 SAleen S7, I bugatti W16 Quad turbo rock: , At least 2 helicopters, 2 planes 1 jet. a mansion that makes the english palace thing look like a cardboard box. And the best offroading trucks money could buy. Oh not to mention half oh montana or wyoming for my front yard.

[quote="Unknown_Sniper":8ed31]7 billion....Id buy 1 SAleen S7, I bugatti W16 Quad turbo rock: , At least 2 helicopters, 2 planes 1 jet. a mansion that makes the english palace thing look like a cardboard box. And the best offroading trucks money could buy. Oh not to mention half oh montana or wyoming for my front yard.[/quote:8ed31]
i thought u left

I did leave...I just come back when I have absolutly nothign to do[/quote]

GT boys, Id like to take you out to lunch and buy you stuff at the mall then give you 1000 for the emotional damage of your great, great, great, great, great grandparents having to be slaves. I just feel so bad man. Last thing people in the ghetto need is another check paid for with funds taken out of mine. NOW STFU. What do you do when you want something? You work for it, I learned this at an early age. No ones gonna fucking hand you stuff in life. Now get your hands out of my pocket.

Aka all the time.....go home

[quote="Short Hand":9c049]
That used to be true in the early days. Before the frozen factory bakes came. Now they are made not from the doughnut center but just dough itself.

-I work at Timmy's :)[/quote:9c049]

Yeah Timmy's is the best!

BTW: That's gotta be the puniest Tim Horton's I've ever seen.

It's the only one I could find. Thats in a mall in St. John's.

Tim Hortons > Krispy Kreme

lev, i just joking around man. I thought you learned by now not to take me seriously mwah:

everything is frozen even the muffins :)


We mean fresh as in..... microwave fresh/convential oven warm up fresh lol. beer:

Shorthand, you work at Timmys? Those bastards never hired me... WHY?

If I worked at hortons id weight 300 by the end of my first month.

Breakfast pastries own me.

I got in a fight outside of timmy's on friday night...so yeah.

I went to a bar last night to specifically get into a fight with some guy.