CKHustler: I don't think it should be as large as possible, but I do think they should run a balanced budget, and start paying down their debt - here in alberta we managed to eliminate not only our deficit but our debt too: until the conservatives slashed the resource extraction taxes.

Governments should be running surpluses in boom times, so that they can be balanced during a recession or use the extra to spend during a depression/recession into deficit territory.


But you can't just cut social programs; take a look at martian's link - or check this out http://www.bit.ly/qXcrxb

There's a definite relationship between government spending on heath and life expectancy. If you want the US as a society to improve in metrics like life expectancy, lower crime, better education, better standard of living... then you can't just gut social programs.


Now, maybe you just don't give a fluff about people and want to live in a gated community away from the rest of society; but I think more Americans care about their society as a whole - at least I certainly hope so.