Details here; an excerpt:
"Consider the Health Olympics, the ranking of countries by life expectancy - a measure of the health of a nation's people. Born today, at today's mortality rates, on average how long can an individual expect to live? Japan has won the Gold Medal since 1978 with the longest life expectancy: The lead is ever increasing and is now more than four years ahead of the US.
"This translates into a huge health difference. If the US eradicated heart disease, our leading killer, and kept the other disease death rates unchanged, we still wouldn't surpass Japan. Today the US ranks 27th among nations in health - about on a par with Cuba.
"In 2000 at the last Olympic fete, we were 24th while last year we were tied for 26th. Fifty-five years ago the US was in the top five and Japan had an even more shameful performance than we do today. Yet Japan, among rich countries, wins the gold in the Smoking Olympics. About 55% of Japanese males smoke, compared to 26% of American men. How do they get away with winning both Gold Medals? What is loaded in Japan's smoking gun?
"What makes a population healthy are not the usual do's and don'ts that make an individual healthy. Smoking isn't good for you. But compared to other adverse health conditions, it isn't that bad. What is worse for a population than smoking?
"Research has shown that status differences between the rich and the poor may be the best predictors of a population's health. The smaller the gap the higher the life expectancy. The caring and sharing in a society organized by social and economic justice precepts produces good health. A CEO in Japan makes ten times what an average worker makes, not the 531 times in the USA reported earlier this year....
"The US wins the Gold Medal in many other important 'Olympic' events. Among rich countries we capture the gold in the Non-Voter Olympics, the Homicide Olympics, the Incarceration Olympics, the Teen Birth Olympics, the Child Abuse Death Olympics, and the Child Poverty Games. Among countries studied so far, we have the highest rates of significant mental illness. We have a commanding lead in the Billionaire Olympics, with over five times the silver medalist's score."
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