Compare the debt of the federal government to a small business or family budget. The federal government will take in $2.7 trillion in 2013 and the total debt will be over 17 trillion. This is the same as a family with $50,000 income having over $300,000 of debt. At some point a family or business has to pay off its debt. Use the monthly payment calculator from the qr financial management spreadsheet to calculate how long it will take the federal government to pay down the debt