Notional Debt

US national debt soars to US$10,150,603,734,720.

US$10.2 TRILLION. Or US$33,237 per person.

Fortunately, it’s a digital countre as opposed to a mechanical one otherwise, folks near or in its vicinity would find it extremely disconcerting to hear a click clack every time the clock goes up by one dollar.

From our Treasury Website, Malaysia’s national debt stood at an estimated RM176 billion as at 2007 a not so bad situation when seen vis-à-vis the USofA’s national debt figure (albeit the latter being a more updated 2008 figure).

We stand at a not so bad RM6,350 per person based on the 2007 figure.

And RM6,350 these days are not really that much.

Just last Saturday, my brother in law found out that it would “cost” him RM8,984 in hantaran and maskahwin to marry his long term girlfriend.

That’s about 5 times what he earns currently.

And that is exclusive of the corresponding costs of the kenduri, the wedding suits, the frills, the wedding ring.

Hopefully, he has set a ready allocation for all these costs without having to resort to a term debt or something.

It’s never good to start a family with the debt clock already at five or so figures and ticking.

I should know as I’ve been there.