Two steps to a better understanding of what an amount of public spending or taxation means.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

Step 1: Divide by the number of people it covers, and convert the unit to money per person.

Step 2: Divide by the amount of *time* before it recurs, and convert the unit to money per person per year.


The city is spending $10,000,000 on healthcare" is very hard to attach meaning to. "The city is spending $150 per person per year over the next ten years" is actually comprehensible.