text: The debt does not only represent an increase in spending, it also represents a decrease in revenues.  Since spending went up and revenues went down, you have an increasing federal deficit.\n\nThere has been a lot of money spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  There have been tax breaks that have continued for large corporations including the Oil industry.  There have been a huge increase in "earmarks" which are basically money Congress loots from the budget to give to people in their own districts.\n\nAs a registered Republican since 1979 I am distressed to see my party abandon fiscal responsibility and even more distressed that this burden will now fall onto my children and grandchildren.