Should the government react to outlier events? President Obama just asked for$1.5 billion to attack the swine flu after just one death in the US. However, in the past year 36,000 people have died in the US from other strains of flu. Above is one of the cool charts you can easily make from google/trends. Of course there is another way to look at this. If we are worried about death, why doesn't Congress outlaw nicotine in cigarettes as David Kessler attempted under Ronald Reagan.
What do you think? Is the government reacting appropriately in light of the swine flu scare. By the way, the nation's pork industry called for a change of name and they had support in a cabinet member. Tom Vilsack, US Secretary of Agirculture, demanded Tuesday: 'Change the name of this flu! It's H1N1!' He said close monitoring of the nation's pork industry shows no illness among pigs.
But the World Health Organization (WHO) is clear that the name swine flu is here to stay.
www.monstersandcritics.com/news/business/news/article_1473684.php/Debate_rages_on_name_change_for_swine_flu_virus_WHO_says_no__Extra__
1 comment:
Well, as of June 3rd, the President asked for another 2 billion to top the 1.5 five. The article I read (from AFP on Yahoo Health) noted that the disease was spreading and U.S. deaths were up to 21. This was compared to a situation in Pakistan which displaced massive amounts of the population, receiving a measly few hundred million dollar from the U.S. Gov't. I'd say that H1N1 or Swine Flu or whatever it's called now is a lower threat than other situations that the U.S. deals with, but it takes precedence (and therefore more money) because 1) it's in the United States and effects us directly and 2) the hype about a mysterious, pandemic-level disease is greater than some middle eastern refugees. Therefore, we throw more money at it. You can debate whether or not swine flu is dangerous all you want, but I'd say the government pays to deal with it because it MIGHT be a problem and their constituents are currently up in arms about it. If enough people panicked about alligators in the New York sewers, the government would have to either prove no threat existed or pay to deal with it. It is known that swine flu is threat - perhaps not more so than other flu strains, but still a threat - and the government has to deal with it (or at least act like they are) to keep the masses calm.
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