@roger,
Actually, applying simple math or logic can often make mysterious or complicated economics issues simpler. For example, spending stimulates the economy. Now if there are 100 of us and we all have $100 to spend, then we have $10,000 of stimulus available. If we all spend it in our home country, we've stimulated the economy by that amount. Now if everyone gives $20 to the government, and the government spends it, we still have stimulated the economy by $10,000 although the government is going to spend it on roads and police and the military instead of TV and microwaves. Of course, the government will tend to spend more domestically, so we might get a hair more stimulus, but call it a wash. From this very simple logic example, we can see that taxes to not depress the economy (unless you tax someone at such a high level that it creates an incentive to cheat). Likewise, tax cuts paid for with reduced government spending will also not stimulate the economy. But if the government that had $2,000 in the above example gives back $500, but borrows $500 to maintain spending, then the 100 people have $8,500 and the government is spending $2000, so the amount spent is $10,500 and the economy sees more stimulus. That is why "tax cuts" stimulate the economy, not because taxes are cut, but because the government borrows more to maintain spending. That is also why Bush's and Obama's crises plans called for large government borrowing and spending. That provided the stimulus to make up for what we stopped doing when we stopped spending.
Maybe that will be controversial enough to get some response going for you.
