Dan McLaughlin

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To Home Page Latest Newsletter Column Archives Click to get these columns for your local paperd	Post Comments Below © 2007 Daniel J. McLaughlin How Great Is That? Heart disease and cancer are two of the leading causes of death. Isn’t that great? It’s not that disease is something to cheer about. Death by any cause is not very good for one’s health. The fact that those two diseases have become leading causes of death is said to be an indication that the population of the United States is deteriorating due to unhealthy living. The official rhetoric implies to a worried public that the rates of occurrence of cancer and heart disease have increased so significantly as to overtake the other causes of death. Whether it is intentional or not, that is a major distortion of truth. In reality, all of the other causes of death have declined to such an extent that they no longer pose much of a threat. Powerful statistics demonstrate the remarkable increase in health among people of the United States and the entire free world. This has been the trend since the dawn of free society. Throughout most of history, a typical lifespan for humans was 25 to 30 years. Life was a struggle for survival. Many newborns died in infancy, and mothers dying in childbirth was not all that uncommon. In the early 1900’s, diphtheria, malaria, tuberculosis and typhoid were constant threats and major causes of death. Millions of people died of starvation and nutrition related diseases. In the last century, war has claimed many millions of lives. Totalitarian dictatorships took the lives of many more. There are estimates that 140 million or more people died at the hands of brutal governments in China, Germany, the Soviet Union, Cambodia and others. The age adjusted deaths per 100,000 people in the United States over the last 100 years shows a relatively constant decline. Many diseases, such as malaria and polio have been nearly eradicated. Accident related deaths have also declined dramatically. People are now living long enough for cancer and heart disease to be a concern. Still, the death rate per 100,000 from heart disease is less than half of what it was in 1950. For cancer, the five year survival rates have improved by over 50% since 1960. With both diseases, people who do fall victim benefit from much more effective treatment and detection methods. As is typically the case, the sellers of doom and gloom get an attentive audience. People seem willing to accept bad news and look no further. Even when the bad news is supported by accurate statistics, it is necessary to question what the statistics are actually telling you. The old saying is that figures don’t lie, liars figure. When you see modern society in relation to decades and centuries ago, the good old days weren’t all that good. People in developed countries have better nutrition, better medical care, and work less for a better standard of living. The poor in America take for granted things that were not available to even the wealthiest royalty in times past. As some potential immigrants to the United States have said, they wanted to live in a country where poor people are fat and have televisions, washing machines and automobiles. All of this is not meant to minimize the danger from either cancer or heart disease. They are serious diseases which, even when not fatal, seriously affect the lives of the victims and their families. The purpose is, rather, to put into perspective the spin on the news that you constantly hear. It is not merely a silver lining to a dark cloud, but more like a bright sunny day shining favorably on the whole human race, or at least those fortunate enough to live in a free society. There is a lot to celebrate about the modern world. Yes, there is pollution, but it was a greater problem 50 or 100 or even 500 years ago, when it was a cause of millions of deaths. Yes, there is poverty, but in countries with at least some level of economic freedom, there is less poverty, and those in poverty are not nearly as bad off as they once were. Yes, there is scarcity of certain resources, but nearly every resource, including energy, is far more plentiful now than it ever has been, once you remove the politics. The lesson is very powerful. We will always have new, difficult problems in society, but history shows that political and economic freedom will also allow brilliant problem solvers to make us better off than we were before the problems occurred. How great is that!
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Daniel Mclaughlin Copyright © 2007 [Daniel McLaughlin]. All rights reserved. Revised: 03/18/08

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How Great Is That?

Heart disease and cancer are two of the leading causes of death. Isn’t that great? It’s not that disease is something to cheer about. Death by any cause is not very good for one’s health. The fact that those two diseases have become leading causes of death is said to be an indication that the population of the United States is deteriorating due to unhealthy living. The official rhetoric implies to a worried public that the rates of occurrence of cancer and heart disease have increased so significantly as to overtake the other causes of death. Whether it is intentional or not, that is a major distortion of truth.

In reality, all of the other causes of death have declined to such an extent that they no longer pose much of a threat. Powerful statistics demonstrate the remarkable increase in health among people of the United States and the entire free world. This has been the trend since the dawn of free society.

Throughout most of history, a typical lifespan for humans was 25 to 30 years. Life was a struggle for survival. Many newborns died in infancy, and mothers dying in childbirth was not all that uncommon. In the early 1900’s, diphtheria, malaria, tuberculosis and typhoid were constant threats and major causes of death. Millions of people died of starvation and nutrition related diseases. In the last century, war has claimed many millions of lives. Totalitarian dictatorships took the lives of many more. There are estimates that 140 million or more people died at the hands of brutal governments in China, Germany, the Soviet Union, Cambodia and others.

The age adjusted deaths per 100,000 people in the United States over the last 100 years shows a relatively constant decline. Many diseases, such as malaria and polio have been nearly eradicated. Accident related deaths have also declined dramatically. People are now living long enough for cancer and heart disease to be a concern. Still, the death rate per 100,000 from heart disease is less than half of what it was in 1950. For cancer, the five year survival rates have improved by over 50% since 1960. With both diseases, people who do fall victim benefit from much more effective treatment and detection methods.

As is typically the case, the sellers of doom and gloom get an attentive audience. People seem willing to accept bad news and look no further. Even when the bad news is supported by accurate statistics, it is necessary to question what the statistics are actually telling you. The old saying is that figures don’t lie, liars figure.

When you see modern society in relation to decades and centuries ago, the good old days weren’t all that good. People in developed countries have better nutrition, better medical care, and work less for a better standard of living. The poor in America take for granted things that were not available to even the wealthiest royalty in times past. As some potential immigrants to the United States have said, they wanted to live in a country where poor people are fat and have televisions, washing machines and automobiles.

All of this is not meant to minimize the danger from either cancer or heart disease. They are serious diseases which, even when not fatal, seriously affect the lives of the victims and their families. The purpose is, rather, to put into perspective the spin on the news that you constantly hear. It is not merely a silver lining to a dark cloud, but more like a bright sunny day shining favorably on the whole human race, or at least those fortunate enough to live in a free society. There is a lot to celebrate about the modern world.

Yes, there is pollution, but it was a greater problem 50 or 100 or even 500 years ago, when it was a cause of millions of deaths. Yes, there is poverty, but in countries with at least some level of economic freedom, there is less poverty, and those in poverty are not nearly as bad off as they once were. Yes, there is scarcity of certain resources, but nearly every resource, including energy, is far more plentiful now than it ever has been, once you remove the politics.

The lesson is very powerful. We will always have new, difficult problems in society, but history shows that political and economic freedom will also allow brilliant problem solvers to make us better off than we were before the problems occurred. How great is that!

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