[goodcanadian]

All else being equal, I don't consider mild deflation to be any worse than mild inflation.

Comparing 1990s Japan to 1990s America is not an "all else being equal" situation. Really, economics is such a complex beast, it would take an incredibly complicated analysis to demonstrate which is better.

[slurry]

I'd be interested to know of examples where sustained mild deflation has been accompanied by steadily high economic growth and steadily low unemployment.