We don't really need to pay it off. This is the "personal account" concept that people incorrectly apply to the government. The fact that the US government has a lot of debt is very beneficial to the global economy. It is the risk-free benchmark, but we will see come August. The main problem is that we all complain about spending or taxes but no one is willing to take the hit to chip away slowly at the deficit problem. Defense contractors are buying votes to get an increase in defense spending, oil is buying votes to keep tax breaks and kill ethanol and solar, ethanol and solar are buying votes to keep tax incentives, healthcare cos are buying votes to keep Medicare paying for everything. We just fight over how one pet project is more worthy than the other guy's pet project. And then we flock to vote for some 80yo dude who says he can fix it all. It really is pathetic.
We have to use all tools to change the path of the debt and make forward progress. I like structuring taxes as incentives to get what we want. We structured housing incentives to get people into homes and we see how that worked out. Maybe we should consider taking away the ability to deduct mortgage interest. Listening Big Fins latest podcast- We want solar but don't want to use public land? Reverse tax breaks for corporations and instead incentivize them with those same tax rates to put solar on roofs and parking lots. Both sides of that argument win a little. What every voter should avoid, is the magical thinking that cutting Government spending will result in more growth, because it won't.