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I think anyone who recognizes and understands the reality of how society is actually composed understands the responsibility and benefits of providing for the disadvantaged, be it through personal efforts or taxation. That's actually a traditional conservative value most often ignored by the current crop of pseudo-conservatives.
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Ah, but traditionally, the poor were kept poor but not Too poor, such that rebellion was suppressed and their subsidized livelihoods helped stave off disease etc so they maintained a decent-sized cheap labor pool. In the modern US, the poor aren't content with 'not Too poor' and continually demand more, including health coverage and other benefits so that disease etc are no longer effectively keeping their numbers in check. Unless a better solution is found than simply throwing money at them, we're going to end up with the aforementioned 'thousands of beggars storming the house' regardless of any self-serving generosity.
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Adding another round of t-bill rollovers doesn't seem significant to me ... I'm not into conspiracy theories that hold that the US government is planning on reneging on T-bills within 10 years from now which is what your argument amounts to.
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That was not my intended implication, and I agree, while debt rollover is an annoyingly poor use of money, it is no cause for alarm.
What Is cause for concern is that in the next decade or so we are faced with one or more of 1) the aforementioned unlikely default, 2) significant cuts to government programs without offsetting tax cuts, 3) significant increases in taxes, or 4) significantly rising public debt, in increasing order of probability IMO. None of these are good for social stability or economic health.
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I don't see this as actually impinging upon the financing situation at all since this process has been used for many different government programs for many decades.
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All houses eventually fall, but one built on the shifting sands of excessive debt will fall sooner and harder, something I'd think most Americans would want to avoid. Yes, US debt has had a definite upward trend over the years, but always with some possibility of occasional dips like Clinton had rather than there not being a chance in a handbasket of the debt going down. The latter should hurt our 'credit rating' and/or hasten the eventual bubble bursting.