text: in 2000 the national debt was 5.7 trillion today it is 8.5 trillion, how was that money spent?   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.  there 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.  as 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.