http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-14/reinhart-rogoff-warn-rising-government-debt-levels-threaten-global-economy.html
From the article above.
"Nations historically have run into trouble when public debt exceeds 90% of the GDP, and it appears the US and some European nations have passed that threshold.......The biggest risk is that debt will accumulate until the overhang weighs on growth".
So has the US and some other European countries surpassed their ability for rapid growth based upon current debt levels? Is 2% growth now all that can be hoped for?