Population health did not decline and indeed generally improved during the 4 years of the Great Depression, 1930–1933, with mortality decreasing for almost all ages, and life expectancy increasing by several years in males, females, whites, and nonwhites.

I’m a bit skeptical about this. Prychitko mentions that there could be a lag effect, that ill health effects didn’t show up until after the scope of the study. I think this is probably right. After all, health statistics aren’t health statistics measured by hospital visits?

During a recession, particularly during the Great Depression before widespread health insurance coverage, even the very sick probably avoided hospital visits.
I wonder how many diseases went undiagnosed until after the depression was over, just because people couldn’t afford the doctors visits?
This would have two affects: give the appearance that there is less illness during the depression and give the appearance that health declined significantly after the Depression. This would make the population look even healthier during the bad economic times by comparison.

I’m not ruling out the findings of the study, of course, but I would appreciate more skepticism on the matter.

Former US President Jimmy Carter says much of the vitriol against President Barack Obama’s health reforms and spending plans is “based on racism”.

While it seems inevitable that some portion of the right’s anti-health care rhetoric is based on racism, its a huge red herring argument that Carter is proposing. But, for whatever reason, it seems like race-baiting without evidence is an easy and popular way to try to end opposition to the president’s (or democrat’s) proposals without evidence. It dispenses with the need for intellectual argument. In fact, it makes Carter and the Dems no better than the supposedly-racism right wingers that they are attacking.

The funny thing is about racism accusations is that trying to defend yourself against charges of racism just makes you sound more racist. The more racist you are, the easier you are to discredit and so this type of charge just tends to replicate itself… all without the need to evidence.

It seems like the only way out of the cycle is to apologize, but then you might be admitting to an untruth.

Perhaps this is an exaggeration of the issue, but I don’t think its too far off and it seems to be getting more prevalent all the time.