Can Federal deficits be justified? If so under what conditions?

[Anarcho-Socialist]

Can they be used for good? Are they justified at all? What should deficits be spent on if they are required?

[Mass]

1. 3+4+7

Deficits should be used as investments in the future, never to provide subventions to special interests.

[Idioteque]

2. I think deficits are ok in a few different cases.

Deficit spending can and should be used to steer the economy out of a recession. It is also ok in a national emergency or during a (justified) war.

While I believe some deficit spending is ok on social services, you shouldn't go overboard.

I don't support deficit spending for traditional tax cuts, although I am ok with fixing the Alternative Minimum Tax and making the system more fair for the middle class.

[Barak And Roll]

3. Sometimes

They may be justifiable, but certianly not to fight an optional war and giving massive tax cuts to the uber-wealthy.

[TheFarseer]

4. I don't have a problem with deficits

Idealy, *I* think, you would have surpluses about 1/3 of the time, balance 1/3 of the time and a deficit 1/3 of the time. If you put away some cash in the good years, you can run a deficit in the bad years. The problem is when you have a deficit every year and a debt mounts up. That is obviously what we have now and it's a very bad situation.