Look at the chart representing the US national debt (or debt to GDP) and pick a point at which you say "wow, that's when we started borrowing beyond our means."

Look at the chart representing the US national debt (or debt to GDP) and pick a point at which you say "wow, that's when we started borrowing beyond our means." I rather doubt the date you pick will be anywhere close to the time eight decades ago when the US decided to start "propping up our allies." That worked well for us financially for a really long time, and the contributors to the current debt crisis lie elsewhere.