Changes in race- and ethnicity-adjusted life expectancy by income group, 2001 to 2014. Credit: JAMA
Living in the US increasingly looks like a health risk. Average life expectancy here dropped for the second year in a row, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The grim trend stems from a toxic mixture of more drug- and alcohol-related deaths and more heart disease and obesity in many parts of the country. And it puts Americans at a higher risk of early death compared to their counterparts in other wealthy countries. (emphasis added)
But what’s often lost in the conversation about the uptick in mortality here is that this trend isn’t affecting all Americans. In fact, there’s one group in the US that’s actually doing better than ever: the rich. While poor and middle-class Americans are dying earlier these days, the wealthiest among us are enjoying unprecedented longevity.
So when we talk about life expectancy slipping, what we should also talk about is the growing problem of health inequality in America. And it’s an […]
I believe the default voting factor shouldn’t be underestimated. Often, I’ve been stunned to see the average number of voters for the congressional elections hovers around 30% or less! People continue to be swept up in the ‘charisma’ of a presidential election and turn out in much greater numbers. I campaigned for Obama, voted for him as I believed in his approach to conflict resolution.. but I underestimated the entrenched obstinate mindset of the GOP which, looking back had everything to do with lining their pockets and the pockets of their donors. I really hadn’t conceived of at that time the extraordinary loss of integrity and what I now call the enrapturement of Congressional minds. Then there is another factor, which is the majority of the Congressional power groups are caught in a generational mindset that is either unwilling or unable to change from ‘past time’ concepts to requires new concepts, new ideas based on what ‘is’ of today’s world and the future. Hopefully, the numbers will shift in the upcoming Congressional elections. There will be more who have already taken up the Climate Change challenges, along with the major shift unfolding around women’s issues. (There are now 30, 000 women across the US who’ve registered to run for offices at all levels).