And better growth prospects will, themselves, make government debt less onerous.

ECONOMIST: A better way

Growing GDP will be extremely difficult because high debt levels require onerous spending cuts, which, in the short term, can cause a contraction in the private sector and a decrease in total output.

FORBES: U.S. Debt Bomb's Detonation Sped Up By Five Years

REITs are less likely to suffer financial distress because they rely much less on debt-financing, with its onerous obligations to pay interest.

ECONOMIST: American property

And the point was to force Congress to choose the less onerous alternative of reducing the deficit and getting our long-term debt under control in a balanced way.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing