Maybe Japan would be beettr off defaulting . Perhaps, but would any lessons be learned? Chances are, the same old, same, old people would turn around and start doing the same thing all over again. And the rest of the population would let them. A recent TV debate on TPP made absolutely no mention of whether the government should be making decisions about who will or will not sell or buy what at what price. Only then will people begin thinking about common objectives, rather than keep with the pervasive mentality of self-preservation on a sinking ship. A minor quibble, but common objectives is the smokescreen put up by groups to hide their grab for power. Isn't the problem, rather, that people do not see their true LONG-TERM self-interest with enough clarity?I look forward to more posts.