I say, the earth belongs to each of these generations during its course, fully and in its own right. The second generation receives it clear of the debts and encumbrances of the first, the third of the second, and so on.
For if the first could charge it with a debt, then the earth would belong to the dead and not to the living generation. Then, no generation can contract debts greater than may be paid during the course of its own existence.
Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, 1789
It was a warm and lovely 4th, celebrating with friends in the sunny day, watching the fireworks over the park, and later, watching the flotilla of twinkling boats make their way home across the lake.
And yet, when considering an appropriate quote for the times, I felt a sobering mood, a cautiousness. the country is undergoing changes, rapidly and often without the full consideration, due process and diligence, and support among the citizenry that such grave commitments demand. By many accounts, the debt left to our descendents is ten trillions, over the next ten years. The enormity of "trillion" is lost in the innocuous "ten" that precedes it.
By way of example, a million seconds is 12 days. A billion seconds is 31 years. A trillion seconds is 31,688 years, ten trillion seconds is 310,688 years. OK, perhaps words don't quite do it for you. How about a picture?
