It's Budget week!- the US Federal Budget since 1996 (via Wikipedia)

[underpants]

* 2010 United States federal budget - $3.60 trillion (submitted 2009 by President Obama)
* 2009 United States federal budget - $3.10 trillion (submitted 2008 by President Bush)
* 2008 United States federal budget - $2.90 trillion (submitted 2007 by President Bush)
* 2007 United States federal budget - $2.77 trillion (submitted 2006 by President Bush)
* 2006 United States federal budget - $2.7 trillion (submitted 2005 by President Bush)
* 2005 United States federal budget - $2.4 trillion (submitted 2004 by President Bush)
* 2004 United States federal budget - $2.3 trillion (submitted 2003 by President Bush)
* 2003 United States federal budget - $2.2 trillion (submitted 2002 by President Bush)
* 2002 United States federal budget - $2.0 trillion (submitted 2001 by President Bush)
* 2001 United States federal budget - $1.9 trillion (submitted 2000 by President Clinton)
* 2000 United States federal budget - $1.8 trillion (submitted 1999 by President Clinton)
* 1999 United States federal budget - $1.7 trillion (submitted 1998 by President Clinton)
* 1998 United States federal budget - $1.7 trillion (submitted 1997 by President Clinton)
* 1997 United States federal budget - $1.6 trillion (submitted 1996 by President Clinton)
* 1996 United States federal budget - $1.6 trillion (submitted 1995 by President Clinton)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_budget

[Statistical]

1. Once recession is over we need to get back to managable spending levels.

I never considered the $1.8T budget by clinton "too small".

Adjusted for inflation today that would be $2.24T.
http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

US Federal outlays (expenses) has grown at a rate 50% higher than inflation in last decade.

That isn't sustainable. Even worse receipts (taxes) hasn't kept up with this staggering growth.

Cutting budget & raises taxes in recession is a bad idea but eventually 2012-2013 IMHO I think we seriously need to consider something that will be universally unpopular:
a) cut the budget, put caps on expenditure growth, and institute paygo
AND
b) raise taxes

You can not keep spending money you don't have. If we do someday when the system breaks down and US defaults or it buried by rising interest rates on federal debt people will look back and wonder how stupid we were to think we could keep spending money that isn't ours forever and without consequences.

[RB TexLa]

2. It has got to be gutted, the rate of growth is insane.

[lumberjack_jeff]

3. Welcome to Norquist's bathtub.

You make it sound like it was an accident or a mistake.