> Also, the US budget was balanced in 2000 It was balanced due to the Internet bubble providing unsustainable revenues coupled with age demographics. The large

> Also, the US budget was balanced in 2000 It was balanced due to the Internet bubble providing unsustainable revenues coupled with age demographics. The large cohort of the population had hit peak earnings years. The govt revenue as a % of GDP hit all time highs, not because of careful planning and choices, but because of luck and unsustainable timing. When that bubble popped, and as the cohort in peak earning years shrunk as people aged out of it, so did the revenue, and then the budget became un-balanced again. Certainly the unpaid for Bush Tax cuts have made it worse, but the fall began before Bush even took office, and certainly was well gone by the time Bush passed the tax cuts. It was not balanced by some stroke of government genius.