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Links to Maps and Charts and Such
written 23 Aug 2009 while the sun tried, at least, rising
Interesting, dramatic illustration of gun death statistics in the US by the New York Times (from 2007).
Each bullet represents one death per day, 81 people being killed in the US every day.
It really puts into perspective what kinds of people are being affected by guns and in what ways. For example:
- Children 17 & under are the least likely to die from guns. Black & white boys are killed at the same rate, about 1 / day. Girls die, either accidentally or via homicide, police intervention, at 1/2 that rate.
- Age 18-24, more black men are murdered every day than men of all other races and women combined.
- Age 18-24, four times as many white men commit suicide as any other race and all women.
- As white men get older, their rate of suicide seems to double, and then triple after 40. The vast majority of suicides are white men.
- Black men who make it to 40 years of age have their chances of being murdered dramatically reduced, by 60%. In fact, after 40, more white men are murdered than black men.
All in all, by far children and women are the least likely to die due to gun related injuries. Black men are the most likely to be killed. White men are the most likely to kill themselves.
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Live Fast, Die Dumb
The following chart outlines deaths in the USA by various, preventable means. Note that I am in no way encouraging readers to quit smoking, stop drinking, or anything else. Live fast, die dumb, people, and I live by that.
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President Clinton strongly hinted for the first time Thursday that he might raise tobacco taxes to finance medical benefits for all Americans.
So reported the Baltimore Sun in 19931. Back then, Clinton estimated that by 1997 it would cost between $30-$90billion to “guarantee universal access” to health care. The tax has come, and increased, and increased again, and in April the largest cigarette tax increase in history was passed, raising taxes $0.62 in one go, and another hike is scheduled to go through any day now3.
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To those opposed to socialized health care, to the government giving it to us completely free, without cost, consider why you’re afraid of this. We have many socialized programs today, the biggest one I can think of being the national highway system, and every other road you drive on. You don’t pay every time you hop into your car and drive across town, across the state or across the continent. Sure, roads often have potholes and don’t always go exactly the route that you’d like, but more or less they get you where you’re going. In fact, I would argue that their are far too many roads. Personally, I’d prefer a bit more distance between where I am and where you are, to be honest.
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Analyzing the Realities of Health Insurance, a Part Two of Sorts
I found health insurance for a reasonable price: $80 / month. It’s still quite high, considering that at $80 / month for the next 20 years I would need to rack up $19,200 worth of medical bills to break even. If I were to invest $80 / month into a savings account with just 2% interest, I’d end up with nearly $24,000. But I digress.
For $80 / month the insurance will cover things like doctor visits, eye exams, trips to the dentist and give me discounts on prescriptions. In that regard, it’s a typical insurance plan and seems pretty decent.
For hospital stays, emergency room visits and the like, they’ll cover up to 40%. I was blessed recently with the opportunity to be hospitalized due to failure of the appendix to work (and be necessary). So I have a real life example we can all work from.
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What is health insurance? A monthly payment that Americans make to ensure that one day, if they ever need it, they’ll be cared for. While it helps to keep your costs down when visiting the doctor once or twice a year (or decade if you’ve yet to have children and are under 40) and will help knock the price of that $100 prescription you occasionally need down to $12.
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