[Nick Danger]

Our trade deficit is 4.5% of our GDP. This is 3 times higher than any other nation at any other time.

You're entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts. Our trade deficit is not 4.5% of GDP. It is not even a third of that, making your "three times higher" statement nonsense as well.

GDP data is here. GDP is running at about $10 trillion per quarter.

Trade deficit data is here. The trade deficit is running about $38 billion a month.

Annualize both and we get (38B * 12) / ($10000B * 4) = 1.14% of GDP.

[Red Jones]

the GDP is 10.5 trillion per year. You may have read a quarterly number, but it is an annualized number. I calculated the 4.5% of gdp from reading an article months ago.

[Tauzero]

Nick,

You're off by a factor of 4. GDP for the full year is about $10 trillion. Your source is annualized, quarterly numbers.

The trade deficit for all of 2001 was about $410 billion.

The current proportion of 4.5% is about right.