Traders Cooperative

[royg1927]

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. government ran a $231.7 billion budget deficit in February the Treasury Department reported Monday. This is up substantially from the deficit of b$222.5 billion in the same month one year ago. Receipts were $103.4 billion in February, the Treasury said, about $7 billion lower than receipts in February 2011. Outlays were $335.1 billion. This is $2 billion higher compared with a year earlier.

I have no idea or source of information as to what prospects are for the other 11 months.

Even so, I have been mentally working with the idea that the administration's expectation for this year's total deficit would be around one trillion or maybe a bit more. Shazam, if $231B is annualized, that's more like $2.7Trillion added to the debt. Should I be all shook up? Is the 231 a surprise, unexpected by people in high places in our government?