In some ways debt can make us stronger. We issue bonds which the entire world wants to buy. This isn't like your household credit card debt. This is debt that fuels growth and investment in the United States. Partially, because of this we don't have to carry reserves of foreign currency or peg our dollar to another country. I don't know what the right amount is but low interest rates indicate the market does not consider this amount of debt to be problematic.

A better question is: what are we getting for our spending as a nation? Rather than pearl clutching at the amount.