WikiPedia on this: "Many English speakers use "begs the question" to mean "raises the question"; for example, "this year's deficit is half a trillion dollars,

WikiPedia on this: "Many English speakers use "begs the question" to mean "raises the question"; for example, "this year's deficit is half a trillion dollars, which begs the question: how are we ever going to balance the budget?" Many philosophers and prescriptive linguists deem such usage incorrect. Academic linguist Mark Liberman recommends avoiding the phrase entirely."