It’s not quite clear who actually takes seriously the idea of minting a pair of $1 trillion platinum coins to sidestep the upcoming debt-ceiling battle, who just wants the option on the table as a warning to House Republicans, and who’s just having fun with the idea. But it’s pretty clear that the “oddball suggestion” is gaining traction. But somebody would have to grace the design with their trillion-dollar face. Here, 10 suggestions. 

[Photos: Twitter, TPM]

BANKRUPT USA
A numerical look at the average family’s financial struggles:

$126,400 
Net worth of the median American family in 2007

$77,300 
Net worth of the median family in 2010

40 
Percentage drop in wealth over that three-year period

15.2 
Median percentage of debt that was education-related in 2007

19.2 
Median percentage of education-related debt in 2010

7 
Percentage of Americans late on their debt payments in 2007

11 
Percentage late on payments in 2010

The dwindling wealth of the American family: By the numbers

(Source: theweek.com)

More American children than ever before are now homeless, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Center on Family Homelessness. One out of every 45 kids in the U.S. is sleeping on the streets, or lives in a shelter, motel, or home where struggling families are doubled up. That’s 1.6 million kids in all. What does this say about the effects of the Great Recession?

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Gary McCoy, copyright 2011 Cagle Cartoons

• $113,149 - Average net worth of a white household in 2009

• $78,066 - Average net worth of an Asian household in 2009

• $5,677 - Average net worth of a black household in 2009

• $6,325 - Average net worth of a Hispanic household in 2009

America’s massive racial wealth gap