--On Monday, June 22, 2015 18:35 -0700 Joe Touch <touch(_at_)isi(_dot_)edu>
wrote:
If you don't feel it's an issue, then let's use the debt of
another group - e.g., the EU, and we're done.
If you think that's not appropriate to use the EU instead of
the US, then that's why we shouldn't use the US.
Joe,
If the EU debt met all of the criteria identified in 3797, I
would see no reason to avoid using it. I don't know whether
there is such a thing as "the EU debt" that is readily available
and verifiable that that the right number was chosen, whether
than number fluctuates enough from day to day to be suitable, or
whether there are similarly-available values for the aggregate
debt of EU member states. But I see absolutely no objection in
principle to using the EU debt or any similar national or
regional number.
Such an objection would be as political as insisting that the US
number not be used (or not). I just don't think anyone by you
thinks such an argument has been made.
john