Puzzling breakdown (What the homo life style costs us)

The July/August AARP Bulletin had a piece on federal aid for medical research in which it criticized the President Bush's request to freeze the National Institutes of Health's budget for fiscal 2007. The AARP correctly interpreted the move as a reduction in federal funding for disease research. Naturally, it advocated devoting larger sums to investigating better treatments for Alzheimer's disease, which primarily affects its core constituency.

But we were struck most by the accompanying morbid graphic, which broke down research grants per fatality. It is beyond dispute that a good chunk of federal research dollars is wasted on frivolous projects. But if it can be described this way, taxpayers get the best bang for their buck on stroke research, with gets just $2,143 per fatality. Heart disease was next at $3,649 per corpse. Surprisingly, cancer was well down the list at $14,006 per death.

The most stunning number, however, was $212,330, which is what taxpayers cough up for each HIV/AIDS fatality. In 2007, they will contribute a staggering $2.9 billion for HIV/AIDS research, which is only slightly less than the total for diabetes and Alzheimer's, respiratory and kidney diseases. They afflict tens of millions more Americans than AIDS, yet comparatively, they get the short end of the funding stick.

It's no secret the generous appropriations for HIV/AIDS research are dictated by political correctness rather than in response to a true public-health crisis. Moreover, HIV/AIDS is the most easily prevented cause of death on the NIH list; all that is required is a modicum of personal responsibility. In a perfect world, the NIH would dole out research dough proportional to the quantifiable health threat rather than the empty-barrel politics of HIV/AIDS.

It's not possible nor advisable to try to bail everyone out who chooses to break natural law. Sometimes getting burned is a good way to learn not to stick one's hand into the fire. Sure taught me.

Or, as the late Robert A. Heinlein so eloquently put it, "Stupidity is the only universal capital crime, the sentence is automatic, and there is no appeal..."

the infowarrior

"A. A lot of what is called AIDS in Africa is actually other diseases since they often go by symptoms rather than testing."

In some places, this has been correct in the past. It does not come close to explaining the current HIV crisis in Swaziland.

"B. If people in Africa (or elsewhere) abstained from anal sex, dry sex, and stayed monogamous, the AIDS problem would resolve itself soon."

Actually, monogamy itself would probably help a great deal, along with abstinence of those who are HIV+. Aside from some miscellaneous cases of rape, physical assault, tattooing, and other blood/tissue related infections, the transmission issue would be resolved. Then it would speed the resolution of the whole problem if you'd just stop treating anyone who's HIV+. You'd probably need to provide a lot of hospice care, but that's relatively cheap compared to HIV meds for life. HIV would cease to be an issue in 15-20 years under those circumstances. When you find a place where those circumstances exist, let me know.

"It's not possible nor advisable to try to bail everyone out who chooses to break natural law. Sometimes getting burned is a good way to learn not to stick one's hand into the fire. Sure taught me."

Did you received a death sentence for sticking your hand into the fire? Trying to use HIV as a learning experience isn't all that productive. It may remove elements of society that you consider undesireable, but as a direct behavioral contingency, it is not that helpful.

Just keep repeating the leftist mantra "We're all at risk for getting HIV. We're all at risk for getting HIV."

That's when they want your money.

When they want to go to school, work in healthcare, work in food service, etc. the mantra ia "It's almost impossible to transmit the virus."

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