How should the US government deal with its rising national debt?

"Quantitative easing has reduced the debt by eliminating debt we owe to ourselves. Combine that with reduced interest rates by the fed, increases in GDP providing tax revenues, and spending cuts like renegotiated drug costs, and I think the problem will resolve itself."

• "Cut spending is the most obvious -- living within your means. But to do that, we need to bring jobs back to the US -- all jobs. Once you have the jobs, you need to encourage people to take those jobs -- that means cutting social programs that prop people up. Pain is a good teacher and when you become hungry, you will either look for work or turn to crime. That means we need to also return to a rule by law society. Good times can be ahead, but we need to go through the pain of a moral and ethical reset to get back to a society where hard work is rewarded. Or, if we aren't willing to go through the pain, we will become bankrupt in short order and other countries will determine our fate. And that will result in another revolution -- much more pain than the first approach."

"Examine every area of the budget and assess whether it's still appropriate. The budget should be reviewed in light of areas that the US should invest in for the future, while reducing budgets in areas that are or will become obsolete."

• "We need to make budget cuts required to bring the debt to zero and then keep budgets within the limits of revenue so we never deficit spend going forward. This will be very painful and will require a huge reduction in entitlements. It's time to reel it in to a reasonable place."

"We need to reduce the size of the federal government and bureaucracy, while reducing the amount spent accordingly. We need to insist that Congress actually balance the budget. It's really no different than if a family or business were trying to get a hold on debt. Cut things from the budget that aren't critical, and responsibly re-allocate spending."

• "Just like everyone else, not allowed to borrow beyond their ability to pay it back. At the current level of 125% of GDP, it's time to confiscate the credit cards and checkbook, holding them to an actual budget. And for areas like the Pentagon that can't pass multiple audits, scale back the annual budget until it gets straightened out."

"Cut spending meaningfully. Lower tax rates to stoke growth, thereby increasing tax revenue over time. Restructure entitlements, cut defense spending, drastically reduce money printing capabilities. Reduce foreign aid. Reduce government bureaucracy."

• "Actually have a fair tax system. A teacher (me) should not pay $20,000 to the Federal Government in taxes when people like Donald Trump pays nil. Income should be income. And audit the defense budget -- they ask me -- where can we cut the "fat" when I already spend way more on my classroom than I should. Make people accountable to what is spent in defense."

"Admit that the Reagan-era “trickle-down” voodoo economics does not work, and return the tax code to sanity. Tax the rich appropriately. Tax corporations appropriately. Stop forcing the middle and lower classes to bear more of the burden of funding the government. Apply a transaction tax to stock and option purchases above a certain level (for example, 200 per month). Fine corporations that defile the environment so that they pay the total cost of their polluting, including protecting the health of people near their natural disasters."