The Obama Economy is Killing Us Faster
Rob Long ·
Jan 16 at 6:42am
Or at least that's the takeaway from this chart I found on Mark J. Perry's excellent Carpe Diem blog:
That's a pretty tight relationship between GDP per capita in blue and life expectancy in red. Rising wealth means healthier, longer lives. Growth is something that has -- if you're a fan of living -- a moral dimension.
Why is that so hard to explain to American liberals? Or to European socialists? (But I repeat myself...)
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Comments :
Feb '11
Re: The Obama Economy is Killing Us Faster
That graph is pretty meaningless. It shows that, since the 1930s, both variables have increased. Why is he taking a log of the real per capita GDP? Probably because it makes the slope of the trend line match up with the slope of the life expectancy trend line.
And it’s counterintuitive. Of course we would expect that higher per capita GDP would lead to longer life expectancies, but not year-to-year. The events that partially determine how long I will live will occur throughout my life. But if the time of my death in 2012 is partially determined by a series of events spanning from 1981 to 2012, then, if we want to look at the effect of GDP on my lifespan, we have to look at the three-decade figures, not just the figures in 2012.
Edited on Jan 16 at 7:18amApr '11
Re: The Obama Economy is Killing Us Faster
I see an error in your assertion. Look at the 1930's to 1945. In this time period it is actually inversely related for the most part. Plus the real difference in life expectancy was the production and distribution of vaccines and antibiotics. It is true rising GDP did help in all of this, but I would not call it the primary cause of our improved heath or longevity. I never like these relationship curves they can be highly misleading as to the causes...for instance I bet TV and Car ownership also track close to life expectancy, as may global temperatures, or human population.
Feb '11
Re: The Obama Economy is Killing Us Faster
It would make more sense to do a state-by-state and county-by-county comparison (comparing one country to another is probably no good, because the data aren’t collected in a uniform way). Presumably, enough people live in the same state their whole lives that the data might really be able to show how, say, average per capita GDP in one state correlates to life expectancy. And having 50 states to work with would give you enough data points to take into consideration other factors.
Aug '10
Re: The Obama Economy is Killing Us Faster
Wow, the extreme wiggiliness from 1930 to 1950 sorta indicates what a REAL crisis looks like, don't it?
That graph makes me wonder if we're all just a bunch of whiners.
Aug '10
Re: The Obama Economy is Killing Us Faster
Dag Gum Double-Posts!!!
Edited on Jan 16 at 8:01amMar '11
Re: The Obama Economy is Killing Us Faster
Rob Long:
That's a pretty tight relationship between GDP per capita in blue and life expectancy in red. Rising wealth means healthier, longer lives. Growth is something that has -- if you're a fan of living -- a moral dimension.
Why is that so hard to explain to American liberals? Or to European socialists? (But I repeat myself...)
I think at its core the left is misanthropic. They don't care how people suffer as long as their genius is recognized and applied.
Apr '11
Re: The Obama Economy is Killing Us Faster
I would imagine that the portion from ~1935-1945 that seems like it's backwards is actually reflecting the tendency of large numbers to die young in a World War. I bet a lot of life-expectancy-over-time charts take sharp dips during wartime.
Mar '11
Re: The Obama Economy is Killing Us Faster
This is a good example of how you can choose the scales and origins of graphs to make any point that you like.
Unless there are dramatic improvements in longevity (which there may be) the life expectancy curve will flatten out soon - most growth curves do (Moore's Law is an exception).
If Mr Obama wins a second term, the GDP curve will flatten out and decline - you might call it "change that you can believe in".
Jan '12
Re: The Obama Economy is Killing Us Faster
I am not a supporter of the UK's NHS but the UK's life expectancy is higher than the US's.
May '10
Re: The Obama Economy is Killing Us Faster
Their population is also much different from ours racially and ethnically, which are very important factors in life expectancy.
Mar '11
Re: The Obama Economy is Killing Us Faster
Perhaps the relationship goes, at least partly, the other way; that is, an increased life span leads to an increase in GDP per capita. People who live longer tend to be healthier for a longer time, so the work force includes, as a percentage of the total work force, more experienced, and thus more productive, individuals.
Edited on Jan 16 at 11:28amAug '10
Re: The Obama Economy is Killing Us Faster
Tully: Perhaps the relationship goes, at least partly, the other way; that is, an increased life span leads to an increase in GDP per capita. People who live longer tend to be healthier for a longer time, so the work force includes, as a percentage of the total work force, more experienced, and thus more productive, individuals. · Jan 16 at 11:27am
Edited on Jan 16 at 11:28 am
Maybe when people know they'll live longer, they work harder so they'll have enough to pay for it.
Naaaaaaaahh...