I have a feeling this thread is leading down a very nonproductive path, but I'd like to salvage something of value from it and discuss the consequences of the n

I have a feeling this thread is leading down a very nonproductive path, but I'd like to salvage something of value from it and discuss the consequences of the national debt. http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/10/21/141510617/what-if-we-paid-off-the-debt-the-secret-government-report http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/10/21/141510617/what-if-... I'd like to challenge the notion that the national debt is undisputedly a bad thing. The majority of the U.S.'s debt is in the form of treasury bonds - widely considered the most secure form of financial instrument. If the treasury bond can't be paid by the U.S., there are much bigger problems (such as the government of the largest national economy in the world collapsing). The treasury bond is utilized worldwide for its stability. It is used to moderate economic growth, and to stimulate it when it slows. I'm not convinced government debt is entirely good, but I'm also not convinced that things would be better by paying it off.