Here is a chart from the House Budget Committee showing long-run projections for spending and revenues over the next 70 years.

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This chart shows how quickly the budget can be balanced with varying degrees of fiscal discipline.

FORBES: New CBO Numbers Confirm Modest Spending Restraint Can Balance The Budget

This history reflects the more basic budget math that eludes most static thinking commentators, especially the pie chart lady Ruth Marcus at the Washington Post. (Pie charts of the budget reflect the most static thinking).

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Figures released with this year's budget appear to back him up (see chart).

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They also assume that the AMT is adjusted for inflation, so the chart shows that we can balance the budget without any increase in the tax burden.

FORBES: Balancing The U.S. Budget Is Simple With Modest Fiscal Restraint

Mindful of its large public debt, Italy refrained from using fiscal policy as an active tool to stimulate the economy, and has managed to keep its budget deficit below the euro-area average (see left-hand chart).

ECONOMIST: Economics focus

And if that's not enough, she's also starring in low-budget horror Mama, which is currently sitting at the top of the US film chart, with Zero just behind in the second spot.

BBC: Entertainment & Arts

The Congressional Budget Office has repeatedly revised down its estimates of America's output potential since 2007 (see right-hand chart).

ECONOMIST: Free exchange