"We don't have a revenue problem," he said. "We have a spending problem." Contain the spending, add 3% growth, and America can "grow our way out of this."

That's a nice idea… and, it's possible. The key part there is the spending freeze: arrest the growth in federal spending, and the deficit will eventually melt away.

The problem, of course, is that Congress won't even cut obvious fraud. So I don't think taxpayers should hold their breath for sudden fiscal responsibility.

The growth side of his approach is feasible. But what does "grow our way out" of the debt actually mean?

The national debt is now a little over $40 trillion. Meanwhile the entire US economy— everything produced by every business and every worker in the country over a full year— is about $32.5 trillion.