What is causing america to be in so much debt ?

Question

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Answer 1

Congress!

They have gotten to the point that all they care about is how much money they can bring back to their voters and the special interest groups that support them.

Doing what is best for the country as a whole has fallen to the wayside.

Answer 2

yeah, what quizzard said above--you won't find a better, more accurate  answer.

Answer 3

The country itself, or the people within?

For the country, it's spending more than the country takes in.  throwing away billions (soon to be trillions) on the war, the country is digging itself into a bigger and bigger hole.  Couple that with politicians who don't want to take the political flack by actually raising taxes to a level that covers costs, and it just gets worse and worse.  Finally, it's a self perpetuating system.  As government debt rise, the dollar falls, and foreign lenders need more and more interest to repay them for the money they loan the US.  That in turn, makes it cost more and more, even if the actual spending deficit were to drop.

Now, as to personal debt, it's caused by overspending, buying more goods and services than the person can afford. In a rising economy, that can be sustainable.  If wages keep rising, that house I can barely afford today might be no problem 10 years from now.  But if the economy turns south, and people are being laid off, their debt becomes unbearable.

So you see, the government debt and the people's debt are really signs of the same disease: overspending and refusing to cut back to where it is sustainable.  Both are a recipe for disaster.

Answer 4

The endless war.