Last week the Congressional Budget Office quietly released its October Monthly Budget Review showing preliminary 2009 budget numbers. The $1.4 trillion deficit more than tripled the previous record of $459 billion set just last year (see top table). More than half of the increase was due to a $530 billion jump in outlays but 44 percent came from a 17 percent drop in revenues. That decline resulted in the federal government collecting a smaller share of taxes than at any time in the last half century.    more »