Auckland: Polar Blast hits region

The bitterly cold blast that has hit New Zealand this week should ease off over the coming days, but heavy snow is still expected overnight in many areas, including Wellington and Christchurch.

Snow returned to the nation's capital this afternoon, with a late afternoon surge seeing the the temperature plunge to just above freezing with a wind chill of -5, according to weatherwatch.co.nz

The polar surge in the capital forced police to close roads, including the Rimutaka Hill Road, Wainuiomata Hill Road, Paekakariki Hill Road, and State Highway 58 between State Highway 2 to Moonshine Road and Blue Mountains Road in Upper Hutt.

Police said driving conditions were treacherous and people should only travel if it was essential.

Extreme caution was needed on all roads in and around the Hutt Valley.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan said the snow will spread across the lower North Island tonight, although some main centres to the north west of the city may avoid the worst snowfalls.

"Snow is expected to be heavy around Wellington, Upper Hutt and Wairarapa tonight with a moderate risk of snow flakes returning to low levels of the lower North Island like Wanganui and Taranaki".

Heavy snow in Wellington is expected to come and go all night with snow easing tomorrow morning.

While Gisborne took the national high with 13 degrees today, snow is forecast to move into the Hawkes Bay and Gisborne regions, to 100 or 200 metres.

Mr Duncan said that the city and region had so far missed the worst of the weather but the southerly will fire up the east coast of the North Island across Hawkes Bay and Gisborne tomorrow.

Christchurch and other coastal parts of Canterbury are also expected to see more snow tonight.

Weather analyst Richard Green said snow showers may return to the city tonight, but should ease in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

Snow isn't expected to be as heavy as it was yesterday with passing snow flurries, but he said there was still a strong chance there would be some falls.

"The freezing level has lifted just enough so that Christchurch, Timaru and Ashburton are all on the borderline of snow. It's an extremely fine line between sleet, rain and snow for those centres tonight but we don't expect the falls to be long lasting and heavy as they were last night".

A few brief snow flurries are possible further south in Dunedin, but conditions there should be easing, while Auckland's chance of seeing more snow is quickly fading.

Graupel and sleet fell in some areas this afternoon, while snow was confirmed on the tops of the Waitakere Ranges.

Light rain showers are expected to move in to the city again tonight as a very small low tracks by but snow is not predicted in the CBD.

Farmers and their stock coping in snow

The polar blast is making life difficult for farmers but they are coping, despite some having to work their stock in thick snow for the first time, Federated Farmers adverse events spokesman David Rose says.

"It's very unusual for a storm to affect absolutely the whole country. In some areas, particularly in the lower North Island, farmers wouldn't have had to deal with a weather event like this before,'' he said.

In some regions, particularly Canterbury and Wairarapa, farmers would be hoping the snow cleared before it turned to ice, which would make it impossible for stock to graze.

"They'll be hoping for a bit of sun or even, dare I say it, a bit of rain, which actually gets rid of snow quite quickly,'' he said.

"The worst thing that could happen is if it freezes. If that happens it will take a lot of warming up before it melts. If we get a lot of overcast days and it stays ice they'll have to feed their stock completely on supplement, and that's a huge job.''

Lambing had started in some areas so there would have been some stock losses.

It was fortunate the storm didn't hit later in the season, which could have had devastating consequences, Mr Rose said.

With calving also beginning to get underway, dairy farmers were putting their cows behind shelters and doing what they could to protect them from the elements.

"Lambs and calves are incredibly robust. Even if it's cold for us humans, it takes just a few days of settled weather for them to find their feet.''

Better weather expected

The bitterly cold polar blast that blanketed much of the South Island in snow and brought record low temperatures to Auckland is set to ease over the next few days, forecasters say.

Met service said threats of intense snow will lower as a ridge approaches from the Tasman Sea and moves onto southern New Zealand tomorrow.

Snow showers were still likely in higher areas between Gisborne and Canterbury but were not expected to reach warning levels by Friday, it said.

What's the current weather forecast? Click here for the latest.

A weather historian says the polar blast has been a 'once in a life time' event.

Erick Brenstrom told Newstalk ZB the recent snow falls are similar to the massive storm of 1939, but temperatures were "a wee bit colder and the sheer quantity of snow was a lot worse" in the 1930's event.

"In Auckland, for example, in 1939 you had 5cm of snow lying on top of Mt Eden, as well as snow falling in the suburb like Ponsonby, Remuera. And it also snowed at the lighthouse at the very top end of the North Island. It snowed in Dargaville, Ruapekapeka up in Northland. There was also three hours of snow Gisborne City - so there were snowball fights there. In Banks Peninsula and Otago we had snow drifts of 10 metres."

"That one was worse than the one we're having now.

Lucky tourists

Two American tourists have had a lucky escape out of a snow-covered Whirinaki Forest Park in the central North Island.

The pair had spent a night in the Central Whirinaki Hut but efforts to get to another hut were hampered by the cold conditions.

Two off-duty police officers heading out for an overnight hunting trip located the pair and were able to call for assistance.

Detective Sergeant John Wilson says without local knowledge it would have been almost impossible to successfully negotiate the maze of roads.

He says another night in such conditions may have had serious consequences.

Closed for business

Both Lincoln and Canterbury University were closed today.

Airports in Queenstown, Dunedin and Christchurch were closed this morning, but all have since reopened, albeit with some delays.

Wellington Airport was operating, but its website homepage crashed earlier this morning under an onrush of travellers and the airport advised them to contact their carrier.

MetService head forecaster Peter Kreft told NZPA yesterday the polar blast was "of the order of a 50 year'' event and warned it could last for several more days.

Some NZ Bus services were cancelled in the capital this morning.

The New Zealand Blood Service is calling on people in Nelson and North Island to come in and donate this week if they are eligible, to make up for collections lost after disruptions yesterday.

The Christchurch and Dunedin Donor Centres were closed yesterday and Westport and Mosgiel mobile collections were cancelled as a result of bad weather.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority closed access to the city's quake-damaged red zone and would reassess the situation this morning.

Power outages

Heavy snow cut power to 1000 houses amid bitterly cold conditions in rural Canterbury, Orion confirmed.

Areas including Rakaia, Westmelton, Leeston and Greendale were hit by the outages last night.

Orion General Manager Commercial Rob Jamieson said trees and branches falling on overhead lines were the main cause of cuts.

Crews had been assessing the damage since dawn this morning, he said.

About 750 homes in south Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu and Wairarapa also spent the night without power after high winds and snow caused trees and branches to tear down overhead lines.

And around 450 homes in Upper Hutt were without power this morning.

Unusual weather for Auckland

Climate scientist Georgina Griffiths of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research said yesterday was the coldest day ever recorded in Auckland. The temperature got up to only 8.2C - compared with the previous lowest high of 8.7C, on July 4, 1996.

The last time snow settled on the ground in the city was 1939. It fell to ground level at the airport in 1976.

The snow caused waves of excitement in Auckland. Kevin Prohl saw a snow flurry as he was driving around Western Springs and described it as a fairy tale. "Looking at oncoming drivers and seeing their smiles as we were fascinated by this unusual occurrence - it was truly delightful to see, yet all too short."

Richard Brown, 53, has lived in Auckland his entire life and had never seen snow in the city. "It was snow, I'm sure it was."

There was even debate among weather experts as to what was actually falling.

MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said most Aucklanders had witnessed "graupel" - effectively hail with a soft centre.

While many Aucklanders were delighted with the light flurry of snow - the result of weather MetService described as close to a one-in-50-year-event - the high winds created havoc. Four people were injured when a tree toppled on to a house in Pakuranga.

Not so fun for some

The cold snap also wreaked havoc further south including the quake-devastated eastern suburbs of Christchurch. Power was cut to hundreds of homes, mail postponed, schools were shut for the day and heavy snow made it too dangerous to drive on.

In the Wellington region, five main roads were closed and 24 crashes were reported yesterday.

"We've been getting calls from people getting stuck on the road, or cars sliding down the driveway and getting stuck in the gutter. We've got quite a lot going on," Inspector Ken Climo of the police said.

Prime Minister John Key commented on "the very uncharacteristic weather" during his post-Cabinet press conference.

Describing the capital as a "winter wonderland", Mr Key said it was the first time he could recall seeing snow fall in downtown Wellington.

"My wife tells me there is snow around our house [in Parnell, Auckland]. It's very unusual, and the main message to New Zealanders is just to be cautious and a little bit careful - make sure they keep an eye out for their family and friends, and if they are aware of their neighbours living alone, it might be a good idea just to check up on them and make sure everything is OK."

- NZPA, HERALD ONLINE

Indiana State Fair: First hand account!

by Cheryl Reed, Indianapolis.
When you're in a situation where people die or are hurt and you are not in danger yourself, pretty much anything you have to say is meaningless. But here I am, still reeling from watching that stage rigging collapse at the Sugarland concert. And I can't seem to stop thinking about it.

Going to the show was my birthday splurge. Jeff spent a lot of time and a fair amount of money getting seats that would make it great: not in the Sugar pit because I wanted to wear big-girl-shoes and wouldn't want to stand that long in them; not in chairs on the ground because I'm too short to see over anyone standing in front but not so far away so we couldn't see anything. Being old, short and lazy were good things last night.

We were in Section 5 -- nearly dead center and just 18 rows up. We were actually 17 rows up but another couple was in our seats, so we agreed to take theirs, one row up. Then, the couple next to us at the last minute, found a way to go lower so we actually had four seats on the bleacher with a railing in front of us. Room to kick off my shoes and dance around if I wanted. There was a fence between the grandstand and the track, with the stage beyond that.

We were close enough to see everything but the detail work on Sara Barellis' dress (opening act) but far enough, as it turned out, to be out of danger. We were also out of reach to get through to help after the steel fell.

Jeff noted the lightning off in the western distance before I did. I was hoping the weather predictions were wrong and refused to acknowledge it at first. I love Jennifer Nettle's crazy big voice, and I wanted to witness Jeff coming into the fold. Kristian Bush is an amazing guy and it's always a happy surprise to hear his voice because he's great, too, and I think people sometimes forget that.

The stage was huge. I counted at least six semi-tractor trailers that were parked behind the set up along with buses and other big vehicles. Just the carriers took up huge room. We talked about how elaborate it was and how much work it would be to set it all up.

Anyway, we were waiting, me less patiently than Jeff, for the band to take the stage. Jeff was watching the weather. I was watching the Indiana State Police guys who seemed to be on patrol. I idly wondered if they were looking for some criminal because they seemed on edge and watching for something. But I knew I had no outstanding warrants, was pretty sure Jeff didn't, and I was focused on the band.

There was an announcement that bad weather seemed to be coming and they were hoping the crowds would wait out the rain in buildings nearby should it come down. People all around us in the grandstands were filing out to try to stay dry. No one down on the track seemed to care. I think those of us who stayed were all just hoping so much to hear the band that we ignored our good sense.

The nice man left the stage. The lightning got closer. The sky darkened to a color that was deeper than indigo but not quite purple. There was a slight breeze, which was nice after the heat. And then, all of a sudden, it wasn't.

We watched as what we thought was a wall of rain come whooshing at us. But it was dirt from the track, not rain that was blowing at us with the force of a freight train.

We saw the rigging tilt to the east. I remember grabbing Jeff's shirt and saying, "Jeff, I think that's going to fall. Those people there." And then, as if we were stuck in a silent, slow-motion movie, the rigging creaked and kept tilting until it all crashed onto the ground.

Jeff grabbed me, told me to get my shoes. He dragged me down the bleachers, skipping the walkway 28 seats to our left. It wasn't chaotic as much as shocked in our area. No one shoved or screamed or was crazy. We all made room for those in wheelchairs, and everyone exited in the ways we'd come in. As we came to the stairs down -- away from the track, I looked over for a way to go left and get down to help hold up the rigging as I could see folks on the ground were doing.

But there was no way to get to the track. In my head, I knew we'd be in the way and that a barefoot, short girl wouldn't be much help even if we could have gotten down there. But I wanted to.

Instead, thanks to my taller, stronger, smarter husband, we got out of the way and didn't add to the confusion. As we ran for our car, parked on the infield behind the staging area, the wind kept blowing. I think I have State Fair dirt embedded in my scalp. It was like being in a sandstorm in the Gobi.

We live only a few miles from the fair and I've been in and out of that thing for years. But I don't think I could have gotten us out of there. The phone lines were jammed. The one thought that did get through was that Alison was at the Ogdens and she might see news coverage. We were headed there when Jeff's phone went through.

If Ali has a bad dream, it's usually about Jeff or me dying. She worries about it a lot. We talked with her on the phone, she said she wasn't worried anymore but had wanted to hear our voices. After we talked, she was OK and wanted to keep with her sleepover, so we went home.

It was hard to settle down. Liquor helped a bit. But as the news coverage of the collapse rolled out, our fears were confirmed, and it just got more and more sad.

My heart goes out to the families of those who lost loved ones, and to the Sugarland family, too. I was at the gym this morning, cycling away and listening to the Incredible Machine album. I heard Jennifer Nettles sing, "Stand up, stand up you boys and girls. Stand up and use your voice." and I had to fight back tears. It was so awful.

I just kept pedaling and telling myself "There's no crying at the gym. There's no crying at the gym." But it's so sad. So awful.

Thank you for all the check-in phone calls and posts and texts and tweets. We are so thankful to have been out of the line of danger. But so terribly sad for those who weren't.

Oh. Deep breath. Keep Indianapolis in your hearts, everyone.

Thanks Cheryl Reed for sharing your first hand account of this tragic story!

Indiana State Fair: Wind gust topples stage Saturday night, killing five and injuring dozens

Indiana State Police released a timeline of events connected to the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair, which killed five people and injured -- in some cases, very seriously -- 45 more.

The chronology of events is being reconstructed as part of an exhaustive investigation of the catastrophe, which took place prior to a scheduled concert by the country band Sugarland. Participating in the investgiation are the Indiana Attorney General's Office, the Marion County Coroner's Office, the Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office and the Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration, according to a report by Channel 6 News in Indianapolis.

The timeline, which begins at 5:30 p.m Saturday evening, outlines communication between fair officials and the National Weather Service. It demonstrates that while fair officials were conscientious in preparing for severe weather, the storm which contributed to the stage collapse was no surprise.  Still, the stage collapse is believed to have been largely a result of a dramatic gust of wind that was a relative anomaly.

"It really wasn't the issue of the weather as it was with the high gust of wind," Indiana State Police 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten said in a local news conference Sunday morning. "What's remarkable about this is virtually throughout the rest of the fairgrounds, the midway particularly, there was no damage to structures, which is leading us to believe that this was an isolated, significant wind gust."

According to the timeline, the NSW told fair officials at 7 p.m. that a thunderstorm with heavy rain, lightning, strong winds and large hail was expected to hit the fairground area between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The same or similar warning was re-issued at 8 p.m.

At 8:30, police were brought to the grandstand, ready to assist security with a possible evacuation. At 8:45, an emcee took to the stage, warning the audience of impending severe weather and instructing them "how and where to seek shelter."

The stage collapsed four minutes later, at 8:45.

The five killed include Tammy Vandam, 42, of Wanatah; Glenn Goodrich, 49, of Indianapolis; Alina Bigjohny, 23, of Fort Wayne; Christina Santiago, 29, of Chicago; and Nathan Byrd, 51, of Indianapolis. Byrd, who was a spotlight operator, died on Sunday morning, while the other four were pronounced dead shortly after the collapse.

So far, 45 others have been reported to have injuries. Burstein said that some injuries are so severe that be believes the death toll could rise.

[Source: 6News Indianapolis]

Gov Rick Perry enters race.

 Texas Governor Rick Perry joined the 2012 Republican race for president Saturday, lambasting Barack Obama's handling of the economy and declaring "it is time to get America working again."


"America isn't broken; Washington, D.C., is broken," Perry, a staunch conservative beloved by the tea party movement, told an audience of supporters in South Carolina.
"A renewed nation needs a new president."
Perry criticized Obama for "apologizing for America" on foreign policy and said he would do better at creating jobs than the president, whose administration is struggling to revive the U.S. economy in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis.
Emphasizing "hard work and personal responsiblity," Perry outlined his guiding principles of government, which includes keeping taxes low, balancing a budget through spending cuts and minimizing government involvement.
"In [former British Prime Minister's] Margaret Thatcher's words: we will not stand for a state that takes too much from us to do too much for us," said the politician, who added that the U.S. was experiencing an "economic disaster" with more than nine per cent unemployed and thousands who have simply given up looking for a job.

Give Obama 'pink slip,' tea party favourite urges

Perry, who has spent three terms as governor of Texas, also highlighted his state's success, saying that more than 40 per cent of the new jobs created in the country since 2009 have come from Texas.
"It's time to give the pink slip to the current residents of the White House," he declared in his 30-minute speech.
Perry was an early backer of the tea party movement and enjoys the support of social conservatives because of his opposition to abortion and gay rights. He is also an evangelical Christian who organized a well-attended prayer rally in Houston last week
Some Republicans worry that Perry's hard-core conservatism and Texas style may not play well in a 50-state contest, particularly so soon after another Texas governor, George W. Bush, served in the White House. Bush had record low approval ratings when he left office in 2009
The governor's announcement came only a few hours before the release of results from the straw poll in Iowa, the nation's first caucus state. Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and U.S. representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota are expected to top that poll.
Perry, 61, is expected to visit New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation primary state, later Saturday before stepping onto Iowa soil Sunday.
The leading Republican candidate so far has been Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor making his second run for the nomination. But no one in the field has managed to raise the kind of enthusiasm among conservatives that seems to surround Perry.
Among the others in the race are former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and businessman Herman Cain.

The Band Perry is mining gold!

Story and photo's by Ray Tharaldson, WRLTHD
The Band Perry started their fair season at the Goshen County Fair. Sister and brothers trio Kimberly, Reid and Neil Perry took the crowd captive with their first hit, "Hip to my Heart" and never let go.

This relatively young group has roots that run deep in country music with a helping of rock & roll for flavor. They have their parents to thank for a perfect marriage of country and rock & roll.

"Daddy rocked us to sleep with Rolling Stones and Mama woke us up with Loretta Lynn, so we get it honest," Kimberly shares with the crowd.

By all accounts its a formula that works. Earlier this year fans voted The Band Perry "Top New Group" at the Academy of Country Music awards and their single "You Lie" has become Certified Gold.


The trio enjoys tremendous cross over appeal with pop stations. As you look out over the crowd you'll notice fans of all age groups, the perfect storm for promoters and record companies.

The Band Perry broke out their newest song, "All Your Life," set to hit the airwaves soon.

"Give your sweetheart a sweaty hug, they'll thank you," Kimberly says as they launch into the ballad.

Commemorating their first fair of the season the group played "Last Song." It had only been played live one other time.

“I hope we can get from the top to the bottom without too many missed chords,” Kimberly joked.


The Tennessee natives perform what they call “American” music - the crossroads of rock and country music. Proving the point, “Independence” featured their fiddle player and included an interlude of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin.” A roll coaster of music styles followed.

Kimberly's moving rendition of "Amazing Grace" turned the packed grandstands into a sing along. The trio then broke into a medley of American songs. “American Pie,” “Jack & Diane” and “Bobby McGee” had the audience singing and tapping their toes. “Fat Bottomed Girls” let Neil take the microphone.

Their latest hit single, "You Lie," has now earned Gold certification from the RIAA for sales exceeding 500,000. "You Lie" was written by Aaron, Brian and Clara Henningsen and recently rose to #2 on both the Billboard Country Albums Chart and the USA Today/Country Aircheck powered by Mediabase Chart.

"‘You Lie' is full of spitfire and it's our high-five to everyone who's been the victim of a cheatin' heart," explained The Band Perry. "Only in Country music could a song about feeling fed-up be so much fun to sing. When we perform this one, we get a big ‘amen!' back and we thank everyone who has joined in."

"Plain and simple…this song has more hooks than a tackle box!" said Jimmy Harnen, Republic Nashville President.

The Band Perry is on course to be Platinum by year's end. We think they will get there. They deserve it.

Meanwhile, The Band Perry remain on tour with Tim McGraw.

Charlie (Harper) Sheen funeral?

The shrouded-in-secrecy ninth-season premiere of CBS' comedy Two and a Half Men, will feature the debut of new star Ashton Kutcher and which I now hear will be a two-parter. I have been able to confirm that Charlie Sheen's character Charlie Harper is indeed dead and the season premiere will feature his funeral. Charlie's girlfriends will come back for the occasion, and his house indeed will be put on the market. The episode will feature potential buyers coming to see the house (as I reported earlier, the list is expected to include real-life celebrities and stars from Men co-creator Chuck Lorre's other series), with Ashton Kutcher among them. However, I hear he will not be the rightful owner of Charlie Harper's digs by the end of the premiere episode, with the storyline expected to be extended into Episode 2. As part of CBS and Men producer Warner Bros. TV's efforts to keep details of the premiere under wraps, I hear the cast has been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, something potential audience members for the Friday taping will be required to do too.

Speculation over the plot of the rebooted Two and a Half Men is expected to go into overdrive next week when production on the upcoming ninth season begins. Co-creator/executive producer Chuck Lorre has been mum on the setup for Two and a Half Men 2.0 and the way new star Ashton Kutcher will be introduced to the series. In keeping with the secrecy, I hear the cast members of the show were supposed to get their scripts for the season opener on Friday night, only two days before the Monday table read. As for what is in the script, the few in the know are keeping details close to the vest, but I hear that the Malibu beachfront house where Charlie Sheen's character Charlie Harper lived with his brother (Jon Cryer) and nephew (Angus T. Jones) is put up for sale. Word is that a number of real-life Hollywood celebrities, including stars from other current and/or previous Lorre series, may tour the house, possibly joined by Kutcher. (It is unclear whether he will play a character or himself.) As for Charlie Harper, there has been speculation that Lorre won't be able to resists killing off the character after being verbally savaged (and sued) by the actor who played him. The signs point in that direction -- the Season 9 premiere is expected to feature all or most of Harper's numerous ex-girlfriends. In terms of production next week, I hear that attendance at the table read will be kept to a bare minimum, but the Friday taping will be done in front of a live audience, not on a closed set. Still, I hear that some key scenes may be filmed separately with no audience and that producers will try to prevent leaks as much as they can, including banning press from the taping. But keeping details under wraps will be virtually impossible in the era of texting and Twitter.

Why the U.S. was never on the brink of disaster

 by Kevin Carmichael - Washington
It might be a little late to say so now, but as Washington’s Great Debt Debate winds down, but a few words on why this incident was a purely political construction.

Given all the sound and fury this spring and summer, it’s reasonable to assume the debt of the United States was so large that it had pushed the country to brink of economic disaster. This was never the case.

Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, the oft-cited co-authors of “This Time is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly,” say countries are in trouble when their debts rise to about 90 per cent of gross domestic product. Glen Hodgson, chief economist at the Conference Board of Canada in Ottawa, has an “80 per cent rule.” Mr. Hodgson, a former Finance official, argues that “if a country’s government continues to run significant fiscal deficits and its public debt burden grows beyond 80 per cent of GDP, the growing nervousness of capital markets means that access to private credit can very quickly switch from open to closed, often with very little warning in terms of risk premia on existing debt or new borrowing.”

So, what is the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio? About 68 per cent.

Pointing this out is not to argue that the U.S. should continue to let profligacy reign. The U.S. debt is on track to reach 90 per cent of GDP in a decade. The time has arrived to take budgeting seriously. But that’s different than being on the brink of disaster.

Expect this point to be made more forcefully in the months ahead by those who believe the present economic danger is high unemployment and an economy that is growing at stall speed.

Minutes after the Senate passed the agreement to lift the debt ceiling, President Barack Obama went to the Rose Garden of the White House to resume his push to extend cuts in payroll taxes and muster support for an infrastructure bank.

The case that the U.S. can afford initiatives such as these was made back in December by Thomas Ferguson and Robert Johnson of the Roosevelt Institute.

Among other things, they question whether the Reinhart-Rogoff rule applies to the U.S., arguing that countries that issue reserve currencies can service much bigger debts than those countries that don’t. They also point out there is another way to narrow the debt-to-GDP ratio: faster economic growth.

In an interview last week, Mr. Johnson, a former chief economist at the U.S. Banking Committee, said the biggest reason the U.S. deficit is widening is because of the recovery’s weakness. The government is collecting less revenue, while paying out more benefits to the unemployed. “We have a slump problem, not a debt problem,” he said.