How are scarce federal dollars best spent?

[struggle4progress]

Poll question: How are scarce federal dollars best spent?

From a cost-benefit point of view, how can we best direct federal spending to reduce unnecessary annual deaths in the US?

[CaTeacher]

1. I didn't vote--I think the dollars are best spent on

health care for people.

[Mel]

2. I agree with CaTeacher

what is the number we lose 18,000 people a year because they lack health care?

[Sensei]

4. wow!

People dying in America because they didn't have access to health care.

This is something the so-called liberal media never talks about.

Could you point me in the direction of where you got that stat? It would REALLY come in handy.

[yardwork]

9. I'll bet it is a lot higher than 18,000 lives a year lost

Count me as a vote for health care.

I'm not convinced that U.S. federal dollars are all that scarce. First we had no money to spare on anything, and suddenly we had $200 billion to spend on invading Iraq.

Seems to me that the money is there when somebody in power really wants to use it.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. Guaranteeing equal protection of the laws to all citizens

[Sensei]

6. Interesting response

But how do you do that with money?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

11. By adequately funding public defenders, etc.,

by choosing your budget priorities so that is what you are trying to do instead of protecting large corporations, etc.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

5. Education

is best way to spend any money.

[struggle4progress]

7. Has anybody considered comparing ...

the annual numbers of US deaths from auto accidents, firearms, medical malpractice, and terrorism?

<edit: ant -> and>

[CaTeacher]

8. I would imagine that auto accidents kill

the most people. However, I am not sure that the government should necessarily help the auto makers more (they already get enough corporate welfare) and the auto makers pass the costs on to consumers (who do you think ends up paying for an airbag). So--I do not support more tax payers money for automobile safety (even though I deplore the deaths).

If we are going to spend money to reduce auto deaths--the way to get me on-board is to spend those federal dollars on public transportation. This would not only be safer--but it would also be more environmentally sound and generally better in every way. I would like to see high speed commuter trains all across this country.

[TahitiNut]

10. Study: Hospital errors cause 195,000 deaths per year

Errors. Malpractice (just in hospitals!). That's sixty-five 9-11's every year. Game. Set. Match.


http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/07/28/health.mistakes.reut/
http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/relatedarticles/31829.php
http://wrongdiagnosis.com/mistakes/common.htm

[struggle4progress]

14. Bingo! eom

[Kanary]

12. I thought auto deaths were higher than the figures I saw

43,000 for 2002. I thought it was substantialy higher than that, although that is a disgracefully high number. If we had terrorists killing that many US citizens yearly, we'd be at war all over the world!

In looking for that statistic, I also found pharmacy errors kill 7,000 per year.

So, Tahiti Nut's 195,000 for hospital errors definitely takes the prize. I always figured a hospital was the last place I should go. :)

Kanary

[Tight_rope]

13. Get those guns of the streets