Is the size of the U.S. national debt a pressing issue?

[Adam Griffin]

No, and I really wish Republicans and conservatives would stop concern trolling on the issue. All we need to do at this point is keep deficits as a % of GDP below that of annual growth and not a single market or lender in the entire world will bat an eye at our debt for as long as that rings true. Besides, the only way you're going to reduce the national debt by any substantive amount is to tax the hell out of millionaires like we did in the 1940s and 1950s. The highest levels of taxation for wealthy people in this country correspond to both the fastest rates of GDP & per capita income growth, as well as the most rapid reductions in our debt. Until they're ready to admit, process and embrace that, they're not serious about reducing the debt (again, not that it even needs to be in nominal terms).