I noticed you indicated that the US is among the lowest in terms of life expectancies among industrialized nations.

You were correct...

Here's a <a href='http://www.taob.com.au/generalinfo/statistics/taob0004393.asp' target='_blank'>2001 Life Expectancy sampling</a>, rounded to zero decimal points.

Japan 81
Australia 80
Sweden 80
Switzerland 80
Canada 80
Spain 79
United Kingdom 79
France 79
Italy 79
Belgium 78
Germany 78
Austria 78
Finland 78
Ireland 77
* United States 77
Denmark 77
Portugal 76
S. Korea 75

Sure, the US is among the lowest, but we're kind of splitting microscopic hairs here, aren't we? Only 2-3 years separates us from the being one of the world's Top Dogs. If some Americans stopped biggie sizing their McDonalds meals, and watched their food intake a bit more like the Europeans do, I'm sure the US would be firmly entrenched in the low 80s.

In fact, the notion of overeating - and other chosen health paths - tends to be an argument against nationalized health care initiatives. Why would people, who watch what they eat and don't smoke, want to be thrown in a pool with those who eat a ton and smoke carton after carton? And, as strange as it is ironic, it is generally those in the lower income segments that eat and smoke more than any other income segment. But I digress...


As expected, the Eastern European countries - still trying to come out of decades of socialism - lagged a bit further down the list. In a few more years, countries like Poland and the Czech Republic will catch up.

There are a few different sources I checked with some different numbers, but the spans were all the same ... just a few years separating everyone. Therefore, I really don't see this list as the "Gotcha" in terms of health.



<!--EDIT|Motown Bronco|Apr 28 2003, 03:50 PM-->