Congressional Budget Office - Historical Budget Data

Before attempting to read this chart, know the difference between a deficit and a debt.  Notice how the first bush administration almost put us to death with a 290 billion deficit by 92.  It took Clinton6 years to put us into surplus before bush II made that all disappear within 2 years with  his tax cuts for the wealthiest americans.  1969 and 1998, 99, 2000 and 01 were the only 5 years we've had a surplus in the past 40 years.  4 of those years were Clinton years.

Deficit (-) or Surplus
	Revenues		Outlays		On-Budget		Social Security		Postal Service		Total		Debt Held by the Publica
1968	153.0		178.1		-27.7		2.6		n.a.		-25.2		289.5
1969	186.9		183.6		-0.5		3.7		n.a.		3.2		278.1
1970	192.8		195.6		-8.7		5.9		n.a.		-2.8		283.2
1971	187.1		210.2		-26.1		3.0		n.a.		-23.0		303.0
1972	207.3		230.7		-26.1		3.1		-0.4		-23.4		322.4
1973	230.8		245.7		-15.2		0.5		-0.2		-14.9		340.9
1974	263.2		269.4		-7.2		1.8		-0.8		-6.1		343.7
1975	279.1		332.3		-54.1		2.0		-1.1		-53.2		394.7
1976	298.1		371.8		-69.4		-3.2		-1.1		-73.7		477.4
1977	355.6		409.2		-49.9		-3.9		0.2		-53.7		549.1
1978	399.6		458.7		-55.4		-4.3		0.5		-59.2		607.1
1979	463.3		504.0		-39.6		-2.0		0.9		-40.7		640.3
1980	517.1		590.9		-73.1		-1.1		0.4		-73.8		711.9
1981	599.3		678.2		-73.9		-5.0		-0.1		-79.0		789.4
1982	617.8		745.7		-120.6		-7.9		0.6		-128.0		924.6
1983	600.6		808.4		-207.7		0.2		-0.3		-207.8		1,137.3
1984	666.5		851.9		-185.3		0.3		-0.4		-185.4		1,307.0
1985	734.1		946.4		-221.5		9.4		-0.1		-212.3		1,507.3
1986	769.2		990.4		-237.9		16.7		*		-221.2		1,740.6
1987	854.4		1,004.1		-168.4		19.6		-0.9		-149.7		1,889.8
1988	909.3		1,064.5		-192.3		38.8		-1.7		-155.2		2,051.6
1989	991.2		1,143.8		-205.4		52.4		0.3		-152.6		2,190.7
1990	1,032.1		1,253.1		-277.6		58.2		-1.6		-221.0		2,411.6
1991	1,055.1		1,324.3		-321.4		53.5		-1.3		-269.2		2,689.0
1992	1,091.3		1,381.6		-340.4		50.7		-0.7		-290.3		2,999.7
1993	1,154.5		1,409.5		-300.4		46.8		-1.4		-255.1		3,248.4
1994	1,258.7		1,461.9		-258.8		56.8		-1.1		-203.2		3,433.1
1995	1,351.9		1,515.9		-226.4		60.4		2.0		-164.0		3,604.4
1996	1,453.2		1,560.6		-174.0		66.4		0.2		-107.4		3,734.1
1997	1,579.4		1,601.3		-103.2		81.3		*		-21.9		3,772.3
1998	1,722.0		1,652.7		-29.9		99.4		-0.2		69.3		3,721.1
1999	1,827.6		1,702.0		1.9		124.7		-1.0		125.6		3,632.4
2000	2,025.5		1,789.2		86.4		151.8		-2.0		236.2		3,409.8
2001	1,991.4		1,863.2		-32.4		163.0		-2.3		128.2		3,319.6
2002	1,853.4		2,011.2		-317.4		159.0		0.7		-157.8		3,540.4
2003	1,782.5		2,160.1		-538.4		155.6		5.2		-377.6		3,913.4
2004	1,880.3		2,293.0		-568.0		151.1		4.1		-412.7		4,295.5
2005	2,153.9		2,472.2		-493.6		173.5		1.8		-318.3		4,592.2
2006	2,407.3		2,655.4		-434.5		185.2		1.1		-248.2		4,829.0
2007	2,568.2		2,730.2		-343.4		186.5		-5.1		-162.0		5,035.1

Congressional Budget Office - Historical Budget Data