They should talk about deficit spending in terms of debt to gdp ratios only. The debt should always increase over time in absolute terms, but the debt to gdp ratio should remain stable. Just as inflationary debt (increasing ratios of gov spending to gdp) is not sustainable, deflationary debt (conversely, inflationary surplus) are also not sustainable over the long run (decreasing ratios of gov spending to gdp). The analogy to personal finance is wrong since individuals retire and die, sovereign nations should not. The math is simple for anyone to see.