I don’t think GM has paid off their debt. Only Chrysler.
Irregardless, if I am a businessman and I make a good investment, does it really matter where the money came from when it comes to whether or not it was a successful investment? The problem with GM is not that it received government money, but the fact that it still has the same problems which caused GM to become a failed company after the recession. Namely, high wages due to union coercion, which make its fiscal situation very difficult. So, the question is if GM will continue to be a viable automobile manufacturer down the road. Also, we have to consider where that money given to GM would have gone otherwise.