[extropy-chat] Extinctions

[Martin Striz]

On 6/13/06, Damien Sullivan <phoenix at ugcs.caltech.edu> wrote:

> And we have more GDP, so we're spending more absolutely as well.  Funny
> how we don't live longer.
> The %GDP difference is big, too, like 15% for us then 10% for the next.

It's 13% in the United States (I had to look this statistic up a few
months ago), but I'm not sure where 2nd place is.  The point is that,
given the outrageous medical costs in the United States, it makes more
sense to prevent health problems in the first place here more than
anywhere.  Even if regulations still end up costing the economy more
(something that I think is at least disputable), the health problems
avoided and lives saved is a cost that most sensible people are
willing to shoulder.

Martin