National Debt Reaches $14 Trillion

If it weren’t so difficult for humans to grasp how big a number a trillion dollars is, the reaction to the national debt reaching 14 times that amount the other day might be a bit more vocal. But it is, so it’s not. Along with a host of other large and disturbing numbers, here’s the new look of the national debt total from usdebtclock.org.

We’ve now added $4 trillion in a little over two years, the last trillion taking about seven months to accumulate. The move from $10 trillion to $11 trillion during the peak of the financial crisis in late-2008 and early-2009 took only about four months, so, by that measure, things are improving.