How do we get to $8 trillion in "rescue" spending?

Back to the bailout (in case you're hungry for more of those posts): It takes a lot of past spending to add up to the still-running-north of $8 trillion in US government economic rescue costs. Many people are struggling to make comparisons, which keep need continuous updating as the costs rise. One follower of the economic crisis is Barry L. Ritholtz on The Big Picture. The chart below is from "More Bailout Comparisons," his Dec 3 post, for which we thank our son-in-law Jay Albany, who spotted it first. In the graphic below, take a look at the big red circle, which "only:" represents $4.6 trillion (click on it to enlarge).

By way of comparison, you can get to a comparable amount (ok, just under $4 trillion) in inflation-adjusted dollars by adding up all of the following:

• Marshall Plan,
• Louisiana Purchase,
• Race to the Moon,
• S&L Crisis,
• Korean War,
• The New Deal,
• Invasion of Iraq,
• Vietnam War, and all
• NASA spending.

Then to get close to the $8 trillion figure, Bloomburg adds in the adjusted cost for:

• WWII, at $3.6 trillion, 

and brings us to $7.4 trillion, which you can see under the graphic entitled "Inconceivable" on our site. Whew. We're going out for a walk. It's free.