--On Monday, June 22, 2015 18:35 -0700 Joe Touch <touch@xxxxxxx> 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