Like I've said before, the national debt is like a leg mangled by a train.
Now imagine you had a line of people with maybe some, but really little to no expertise, advertising themselves to you on the idea of your leg. Imagine you are as disinformed (or misinformed) about your leg as the average American is about finances and government.
The Honest Physician says) We need to cut it off now, it is beyond repair.
The Sly Physician says) We can save your leg, but you'll have to be submitted to my rehab wing for long term care
The Magician says) I can save your leg as soon as you select me. It will only hurt for but a second but it will work!
So of course, you vote for the magician who makes you suffer, damages the leg more and doesn't really get anything fixed for 4 to 8 years but somehow prevents the leg from becoming infected.
You complain, and next cycle, you hire the Sly physician, who tries to fix your leg in a way the makes you dependent on his Rehab wing. He doesn't really fix the leg, you are in much pain so next election cycle:
You hire Sly Physician 2, who said the same things but claimed it didn't work before because Sly physician 1 was incompetent. He messes up your leg some more, not really fixing anything. You still think you can keep your leg though, right, now you've had it destroyed like this for some 16 years!
So you elect Sly Physician 3, and the story goes on until one day; 38 years in the future, you realize that you needed Honest Physician all along and decide to elect him.
Problem is, the leg is a national problem, and over these 40 years it took you to cycle around to the right person, the majority voting block has cycled. They are now still trying to save the leg and that leg can only get worse and worse.