Act like you mean it.

THE hot topic at Reddit, at the moment:

Here's some of what the article has to say:

National debt at highest level since after WWII

Despite President Trump's declaration that he would eliminate the national debt over eight years, the debt-to-Gross Domestic Product ratio has reached its highest level since after World War II, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)...

"At 78 percent of gross domestic product, federal debt held by the public is now at its highest level since shortly after World War II," the CBO found.

You can be sure they're talking about "debt held by the public", because the "gross" Federal debt is already 100% of GDP or more.

Not that it matters much. But if you're gonna talk about how much debt there is, you ought to be honest about it. If you're one of the people who says the Federal debt doesn't matter, then it doesn't matter whether it's 78% or 100%, right? If it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. So, why insist on using the smaller number?

The Federal debt matters to some people. You can tell who they are. Those people always use the bigger number, the gross Federal debt. I understand that: It matters to them. What I can't understand is why anyone would insist on calling it 78%. If it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, so use the bigger number. It doesn't matter, right?

Maybe the people who call it 78% just do it to piss off the people who insist on calling it 100%. Maybe they just do it to be dicks. What other reason could there be? I mean, if it doesn't matter how big the Federal debt is, why else insist on using the smaller number?

You're telling me it doesn't matter. So, act like you mean it.