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choice of tense-aspect default

Rick,
Here are the rules for determining tense and aspect according to LS 15.2:

15.2 Default Tense and Aspect
In the interlingua, we will create a few simple rules that will make the intended tense and aspect obvious - even to a computer - when an explicit tense-aspect marking is missing. Here are the rules that I feel are both natural and efficient:
   If a tense-aspect disjunct immediately precedes the verb, then it
   will set the tense and aspect accordingly.

   Otherwise, if the verb is derived from a temporal deictic root, then
   the tense will be the deictic tense, and the aspect will be
   perfective for past or future or imperfective for present.

   Otherwise, if a verb is modified by a tense-aspect adverb, then the
   adverb will provide the tense and/or aspect.  If the adverb is
   tenseless, then the tense will be past.  If the adverb is
   aspectless, then the aspect will be perfective.

   Otherwise, if the verb follows a conjunction then it will have the
   same tense and aspect as the preceding verb that it is linked to.

   Otherwise, if an embedded clause is introduced by a case tag derived
   from a root that specifies tense (i.e., 'before', 'after', 'when',
   'until', and 'since'), then the default tense of the embedded clause
   will be the same as the tense of the main clause, and the default
   aspect will be perfective.

   Otherwise, the tense and aspect will be past-perfective.

I feel that a more "natural and efficient" tense and aspect default would be present-imperfective.  Do you have an objective reason for your choice of default?

stevo