It is also important to remember that the money isn't borrowed out of thin air. Other nation states, corporations, and individuals have lent all this money to t

It is also important to remember that the money isn't borrowed out of thin air. Other nation states, corporations, and individuals have lent all this money to the US government. Lenders lend when and where they believe they will receive a return on their investment. If and when the US approaches a position where it cannot pay the interest owed, you'd expect that to coincide with a reluctance by the lenders to continue lending. So, you could argue that the US is not defying any odds, but rather it is consistently performing at or near the odds that have been predicted by the global public.