Instead of taking long-term debt, they're doing short-term payoffs," Lankford said.

That will force Congress to take even more from programs like science, where there is no short-term payoff.

To do so, he needed to persuade the musicians to back financially risky undertakings that offered no short-term payoffs.

But what has caught the attention of recent investors is not just the long-run potential of index funds, but their short-term payoff.

"You get a short-term payoff, but it sells out your credibility."

"The benefits are so long term and so far away, and Americans seem to be obsessed with short-term payoffs."

"Agriculture is still an area where he could get the short-term payoff he needs," said a European diplomat specializing in economic affairs.

Management doesn't want to invest in new media without understanding what the short-term payoff is.

Your short-term payoff for contributing to God's consciousness is fewer problems in your daily life, less stress, and more happiness.

Indeed, cooking with children can be the gift that keeps on giving; it has both short-term and long-term payoffs.