Is Govt & the wealthy business elite using the 14.4 trillion dollar national debt as scare & fear tactic?

Of course. My favorite is social security and medicare. Why do they say entitlements are bankrupting us when they actually produce a surplus? About 2.5 trillion is the surplus they generated, that the US Treasury has borrowed. Whenever it looks like they may have to repay that debt, they say the system is bankrupt and they need to raise the retirement age, increase taxes, or decrease benefits. On the other hand, the Department of defense spends a trillion a year without bringing in a cent, yet no politician wants to cut their budget and face the ire of the defense contractors who will donate money to their opponents as revenge.