[Platt] Please see the debt-GDP chart at wiki that tells a somewhat different story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._public_debt
[Arlo] Charts are identical. Where do you see any difference to what I said. [Arlo had said] When Carter left office, this ratio was at about 38%. By the end of the Raygun years, it was about 58%, and by the end of Pappy Bush it was pushing 70%. Although it continued to rise in the early Clinton years, when Clinton left office it had been reduced to around 58%. Under Bush Jr. it is back up to 63%. [Platt] What is shows is the hysteria about the national debt is phony-baloney. [Arlo] Why is it phony-baloney to point out that under Raygun and Pappy Bush, the debt-GDP ratio soared from 38% (left by Carter) to almost 70%? That it reduced under Clinton, but then went back up to 63% under Bush Jr.? Does that not mean anything? I though the whole point of you giving this ratio was that they are a more accurate reflection of concern than raw debt? Do you not think the debt is a problem? If not, why worry about government spending at all? I mean, according to the page you offered, "in 2007 Congress raised the debt limit to $9.815 trillion..." $10 trillion dollars? That's an almost meaningless amount, like saying 10 bajillion dollars. At what point do you ever see it becoming a problem? 100 gajillion bobillion banafana fofana dollars? Or is a ratio thing? Is it 70% debt-GDP? 90%? When? Nonetheless, this very page you point to gives enough reason why we should be concerned. Thanks. Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
