That pie chart is an interesting example of cherry-picking data. 2007 was the height of the stock market climb based on all the bogus real estate borrowing and lending. (Anybody want to go back to those days?) So of course the federal deficit was small.

Unfortunately, between 2007 and 2013, the Great Recession sort of blew a hole in the sweet cherry pie. There are no easy solutions.

Here's a more realistic picture: S&P 500 Index Chart, 2003-2013