Checking back, I discovered I was born in a Leap Year, not on a Leap-Day on February 29th - but a few months later...What does that mean for me, or you or anyone born in a year with 366 days?
Because a Leap Year has 366 days is there a significance? Since, historically the United States has held federal elections every four calendar years in a Leap Year, I found that a rather curious fact.
From 1792 to the present day, the United States has held a Presidential Election every four years, even when at war with itself. During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President was elected to a second term in 1864.
Oddly enough, though an election occurs every four years, not every election year falls on a Leap Year. The reason is simple enough and is once again based on the Gregorian Calendar, which dictates that years marking the end of a century (ie: multiples of 100) are only leap years if also divisible by 400. As a result, 1600, 2000, & 2400 are leap years, but 1800, 1900, & 2100 are not.
This triviality is a minor blemish to the value otherwise provided by the simple generalization that U.S. Election Years are Leap Years. [Wikipedia, March 2024]
............................
Okay 'fellow-travelers' besides America's quirky [election] history and present, what does some/any of this mean for 2024-Main-Street-Voters? Well, you decide...Astrologically, leap years are known for bringing luck to our lives. Hmmm, does our inflation and/or national debt need luck...
Leap-Years often represent some of the best or most poignant times. In 2024, astrology aligns with the luckiness of leap years, presenting major opportunities for refocusing on life and new beginnings. During the week of February 29th, both Mercury and Saturn move into the heart of the Sun in Pisces, forming a cazimi. A cazimi represents a new beginning, where the planets merge their energies, helping us feel recharged and ready to take on the world. [Web Bing search]
Oh my gosh - liberal or conservative - WeThePeople, MainStreetAmericans know all too well that America's destiny is at a tipping point -and- tipping at a place where Germany was a hundred years ago and Venezuela was only 12 years-ago...
A great Hope fell
You heard no noise
The Ruin was [from] within
— Emily
Dickinson
And in the last five years the greatest leap of all has been in our currency as well as globally because our currency is traded globally.
But shockingly a million of our dollars just doesn't buy what it once did less than one short decade ago. Suddenly every single project, every single investment, every single cost leaped to cost a Billion. Why was that? What happened? Then suddenly in a blink our national debt went from Billions to Trillions! What! That leap took less time than from millions to Billions.
So, I went looking. Scouring several places across the World-Wide-Web gave me no comfort. The transition from millions to billions in terms of cost is a fascinating shift. Supposedly that 'shift' reflects the immense scale of economic growth and financial transformation that snuck up on us over a very short time.
What follows is what I found, and good luck sleeping tonight - sorry...
Millions to Billions:
- Historically, the
concept of millions was
associated with substantial sums of money. For instance, a million
dollars was considered a significant fortune.
- However, as
economies expanded, technological advancements accelerated, and global
markets evolved, the need for larger units of measurement arose.
- The shift from
millions to billions occurred as financial transactions, corporate profits,
and government expenditures reached unprecedented levels.
Factors Contributing to the Shift:
- Economic Growth: Rapid economic growth, especially in the
post-World War II era, led to increased production, trade, and
investment. As economies boomed, the scale of financial transactions grew
exponentially.
- Technological Advances: Innovations in computing,
telecommunications, and transportation facilitated global trade and
financial flows. Businesses and governments dealt with larger numbers due
to increased connectivity.
- Inflation: Over time, inflation eroded the purchasing
power of money. What cost a million dollars decades ago may now require
billions due to rising prices.
- Corporate Giants: Multinational corporations, tech giants, and
financial institutions operate on a global scale, generating revenues and
profits in the billions.
- Government Spending: Public infrastructure projects, defense
budgets, and social programs involve massive expenditures. These are
often measured in billions.
- Financial Markets: Stock markets, real estate, and investment portfolios now deal with values in the billions. [The abrupt shift from millions to billions [tipping to trillions] reflects the sheer magnitude of financial transactions globally and the ever-expanding centralized wealth via commerce.]
- Real Estate: The median home price in the United States increased significantly, reaching $394,600. [factcheck.org].
- Billionaires’ Wealth: During the pandemic, U.S. billionaires gained almost $1 trillion in wealth, reaching a total of $3.88 trillion by October 2023. [CBS News]
- Inflation/Government Spending... U.S. National Debt is 34 trillion and growing $34,+++,+++,+++,+++ and so on. There are more comas separating our ever-increasing number than were in my first short story. [America is bankrupt!]
Who is responsible? Each and every elected official who holds a public office Republican and Democrat - every last one...And us-voters who kept electing morally and ethically compromised fools, but we were too lazy to pick someone else, because we kept voting our party-line.
By shifting away from any one party to Independent I felt 'free' to look at and consider any person running for public office conservative and liberal. And that's exactly what I've done for the last 20 years.
For any given election I've voted for people from both parties.
Moving on...The abrupt shift from millions to billions [tipping to trillions] reflects the sheer magnitude of financial transactions globally and the ever-expanding centralized wealth via commerce. But where does this money-virus stop? Do we race beyond 9 zeros to 12 then 15? From Quadrillion do we go to Quintillion, followed by Sextillion then Septillion, Octillion, Nonillion, Decillion? ..."Home again, home again jiggety jig"... Really? Then what becomes the price of bread using Latin numbers with 100 sets of 000 after too many comas to count?
Does where - our government spending/value of the U.S. dollar - headed seem beyond the ridiculous to you? Just asking for a friend...
Sherrie Todd-Beshore is an award-winning mystery-suspense novelist and former journalist.
Author website: Patchwork Publishing, LLC
Where Is Eden? & Another Blended Not Shaken: Sherrie Todd-Beshore | Substack
MYSTERY SHE WROTE (intrigueinprint.blogspot.com)
