Engineering not Medicine Saves Lives

In less than a 100 years here in the USA we have indoor plumbing for all bringing us clean safe drinking water and effectively removing our waste; more than just a simple roof over our heads we have affordable heating in cold weather, and in the south it’s almost impossible to purchase a home without cooling; instead of 40% of the population required to work in agriculture to provide the nation with food, less than 3% of the population need to work the fields.

All of this has greatly added to the quality of life in the USA (and the world). When was the last time you read about dysentery killing masses of people in the USA, it was a leading cause of death less than 100 years ago. All the great advances in medicine pale in comparison to what our engineers have done to prolong our lives. Our engineering has made suburban life possible, we no-longer have to live on top of each other in cities, or spread out so far that it’s difficult to help each other in times of need. You probably have a cell phone with your right now and help is just 4 key strokes away 911-send. Most of the jobs in the USA no longer require hours and hours of back breaking work. Even carpenters use air-nailers instead of hammers to build houses, fewer people get more work completed with less physical effort. Safer working conditions, affordable food, clean water, waste removal, good shelter and protection from the elements have lead more to man living longer than anything else we’ve done.

To live and survive mankind requires first and foremost the basics; Food, Water, Shelter, Waste Removal. There are not people starving to death in the USA. Both government and charity provide food to the needy. The needy do not get the very best food available like professionally prepared prime rib, fresh asparagus, and truffles. Needy from food banks, or even government food stamps, are limited to the most cost effective foods to feed and nourish them, this way more of the needy can be fed with the charitable dollars available. Housing, water, sewer, are provided to many needy; they don’t get 6000 sq foot Mini-Mansions with pools, gardens, and gated property. Assisted and public housing is designed to provide the most housing to the most people for the least cost. It is not luxury condo’s on the beach, this way more of the needy can be sheltered with the charitable dollars available.

Medical care extends, protects, and restores life to people. Charity provides basic health services to the needy, charity tries to do this in a manner which provides basics to as many people as possible with the charitable dollars available.

Why is it that it’s fair for Al Gore to live in a house that uses 20 times more resources than the average person; Why is it fair for the rich and famous to have the very best meals prepared for them from the very best foods available; When not everybody can afford the best? Since it’s not fair for some people to get better food and shelter than others shouldn’t the government control food and shelter so that everybody gets the very best?

Arguably food and shelter are more important than doctors and drugs. If you think that’s absurd, then shouldn’t the government controlling all of health care to insure that everybody gets the very best health services be just as absurd?

Everybody in the usa has access to emergency and basic health care, not necessarily the best available cancer treatment, or super duper extreme life saving measures available. But just like the poor don't have access to the best housing or best food available from the work of those who are not poor.