Life by the spreadsheet.Two dimensional thinking in a three dimensional world will be the end of us.

[hedgehog]

9. Their real problem is understanding non-linear equations -

for example, because health care costs have risen say, 5% each year for the last 5 years, they will always rise 5% a year forever and ever. This thinking totally ignores factors such as effective pharmaceuticals going off patent and dropping in price and the effect 10 years down the road of putting middle aged men on heart protective drugs today. Ten years of generic blood pressure and cholesterol control medications is a hell of a lot cheaper than the treatment for a major heart attack!