Given their mostly dismal forecasting track record in recent years and their continuing inability to reconcile what happens in the real world with what passes for economic theory, it’s not clear why economists continue to be asked for their opinions on these matters or why their views continue to be published in the financial media, but they are and they do. This CNN/Money report examines the results from the latest survey of business economists.

The air is quickly coming out of the recovery balloon, and economists have mixed views on how to pump it back up.

The National Association of Business Economists said Monday that three-quarters of its members believe that promoting economic growth should be a higher priority than reducing the national deficit, according to an August survey of the nation’s economic policy.

However, nearly the same number of NABE economists said they do not think another stimulus package is necessary to halt the economic slowdown and get the economy back on track. At the same time, a majority believe that policymakers should do more to boost job growth.

The survey, based on responses from 84 NABE economists who work for private-sector firms and industry trade associations, comes as economic growth in the United States has slowed significantly after rebounding from a deep recession. Economists have been reducing their growth forecasts, and some are worried the economy could slip back into a downturn.

Part of the problem is that it pays to be positive, that is, if you want to make a living in this field. Unless you’re one of the select few bearish economists who have been able to make a name for themselves over the years (e.g., Rosenberg, Roubini, etc.), you’ve pretty much got to have the curves on your charts going from the  lower left to the upper right.

Why would anyone hire you if you had a dim view of the U.S. economy?

And why would the Federal Reserve hire you if you thought the central bank just might be single-handedly destroying the world?

Clearly, agreeing with what the Fed does greases the wheels, career-path-wise, and it should come as no surprise that few disagree with what they are now doing.

“The majority of the economists surveyed consider monetary policy to be currently appropriate, with greater disagreement over how the Federal Reserve should proceed over the next 12 months,” said Lynn Reaser, president of NABE and chief economist for Point Loma Nazarene University.

After cutting rates to historic lows near 0% in December 2008, the Fed has been without its main tool for supporting economic activity for nearly two years. It has since bought billions worth of Treasury bonds in an effort to bring down rates for home and other consumer loans. But some central bankers are worried about adding to the $2 trillion worth of assets the Fed has acquired over the last few years.

Meanwhile, only 38% of economists surveyed believe the nation’s current fiscal policy is “about right.” But 64% supported recently enacted legislation that extends unemployment benefits up to two years.

One area where there was broad agreement in the survey was the question of tax cuts. A majority of economists said that none of the existing tax cuts on individual income, dividends and capital gains should be allowed to expire.

It should be an interesting week – the ISM manufacturing report on Wednesday and the labor report on Friday could cause a few more dismal scientists to revise their growth estimates lower, much to the chagrin of their employers.