Can we grow our way out of the national debt in a world with limits to growth?

Most strategies for reducing the national debt rely on growing the economy. This is especially true of Republican strategies which also include cutting government spending. With this strategy, the debt becomes a smaller percent of a bigger, mostly private economy.

One problem with any growth strategies are the environmental limits to growth. These limits are either real or perceived. Even if just perceived, they lead to significant regulation on new construction.

Population growth is also a driver of economic growth and US population growth is significantly slower these days. One brake on US population growth has been anti immigration sentiment, largely pushed by Republicans. This is contradictory for sure.

On the other hand, less population can make protecting the environment and lowering the carbon footprint easier. I see many contradictions in demands from mainstream political perspectives.

I found an interesting discussion about the debt where the growth solution was featured prominently, but it had no mention of limits to growth. Growth was especially prominent in the Republican perspective.

Budget cuts create their own problems due to how dependent people are on government spending; especially us seniors on Medicare and Social Security. Budget cuts also can reduce overall consumer spending which is, yet another obstacle in itself to economic growth.

As for relying on the growth paradigm, I see yet, another big flaw. Is GDP growth always the best thing for humanity?

True quality of life often improves in ways that are not measured by GDP. There are many things, such as happiness, health and longevity that are not always measured by GDP. Preserving a natural area can improve quality of life, though often not measured by GDP. On the other hand, a disaster, illness or car accident can be valued in GDP due to the economic activity it stimulates to fix the problems. War can add to economic growth as well.

Many quality of life things are not really measured in GDP like community connection and volunteerism. Even technological progress isn't often measured. Today's Smartphone is likely only worth a few hundred dollars, yet it can outperform an entire 1970s computer facility that was valued, back then, in the millions of dollars.

Maybe the only way we can grow our way out of the debt, if we rely on measuring things totally in dollars, is to inflate our way out of the debt. We can, of course, create more dollars. To some extent, we have done that already. A home, in the 1970s, cost far less than a home today. There is a big price difference between a 1970s fixer upper for $20,000 and one for $800,000 today.

This home value and cost situation is also a factor of limits to growth. There have been limits imposed on housing supply related to things like neighborhood restrictions, availability of water and traffic congestion. It also has to do with monitary expansion; more dollars chasing the same amount of land.

I realize that wealth inequality is a big issue as well, though I often look at other things. Basically, I think we need totally new values and paradigms about the economy and life in general.