Why don't people understand, you can't slash your way to a balanced budget?

It's untrue that NO people understand it.

But too many don't -- and not just here in the US.

First, most people know little or nothing about economics. Second, the people who DO rarely are heard from.

Most people still get their understanding of what's going on from TV, specifically, the mainstream channels -- those that pay any attention at all. Of that group, many exclusively watch Fox "News" which wouldn't report the truth under any circumstances.

Not that the rest are much better at anything like depth, background, or distinguishing people who know what they're talking about from people just spewing.

According to Steve Ratner's New York Times Op-Ed, the $2 trillion increase in military spending that Mitt has proposed, which is really nothing more than a Republican economic stimulus plan, which is entirely unfunded, will require cuts of 40% to every other program and service in the federal budget and, if not, then Mitt adds $2 trillion with very little return on investment, unless conquering the world is the goal, and after 8 years Mitt gets to sail off to the Cayman Islands while you and me and our kids get to pay the bill for Mitt's neocon fantasies.

You cannot have economic growth and job creation unless people in the private sector or the public sector are spending. That's Economics 101. That's the way it works everywhere. Mitt's so-called plan contains NO growth and no job creation if you cut other services and programs by 40% to achieve revenue neutrality. If Mitt's plan were to work, he would have to borrow the money from China, and with the minimal ROI on that $2 trillion investment America would be far better off investing just half of the amount elsewhere and achieving a much higher ROI that creates more middle class jobs and economic growth.

Mitt's math does not add up. It never has. It never will.

Why do Liberals think you can spend your way out of a recession? Why do Liberals think you cam balance a budget and NOT slash spending? The Liberals stupidity in the economic decisions is what got us here.

Housing bubble: The entire subprime market came from Liberals' insistance that mortgage companies lend to EVERYONE, not just that you know have shown they can actually handle paying back a mortgage. So what happens, things slow down, and the people who shouldn't have had a mortgage in the first place can't pay.

We do understand, cutting spending with 12 million new jobs and 12 million more people will raise the revenue to a level that the budget is Balanced, the crippling government regulation are killing growth and jobs, President Romney will lift some of the regulation and the economy will thrive.

Once we recover from the current economic FU, we still can't raise enough revenues to offset the spending. We have to address the structural spending gap in a meaningful way, which, unfortunately, will require both sides to abandon their current position. If electing Romney would accomplish that, so be it (but I doubt it).

That's a very good point. You can't slash your way to a balanced budget during a recession, or during periods of stagnancy - like we're in now. (I think the conservatives are allergic to reality... they are banning critical thinking from public schools in Texas. :/)

So we continue to spend more and just squeeze it out of the public. So what happens when the public is stripped of all it has? Do politicians just pack up, move to another country, and wave goodbye to the citizens starving in the dust?

Massive spending cuts will lead to increased unempoyment, crashing DOW and home prices, which Republicans have been champing at the bit to blame Obama for for 3 years, but he hasn't given them that opportunity.

oh they need to cut welfare. Cut the CORPORATION WELFARE. and defense contractors. Destroy tax loop holes and then maybe you can get closer to a balanced budget. But guess what, citizens united, has allowed legal bribery. and now, your politicans don't do the bidding of the people, BUT THE BIDDING OF THEIR DONERS.

Why do I feel you are one of those recipient of government money?