The bankers who were bailed out were the very people who ran the economy into the ground. The government could have unwound the situation without bailing them

The bankers who were bailed out were the very people who ran the economy into the ground. The government could have unwound the situation without bailing them out. But the relevant point for this discussion is: that was a one-time event and not a fair comparison with future deficits. Deficits from later years should be compared to 2008 or 2007, or to 2009's budget without the bank bailouts.