Procrustes Stretched
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Dying Early AMERICA’S LIFE EXPECTANCY CRISIS
Whether we admit it or not, it's true that actions have consequences.
What is being investigated and written about is that any states policies, driven by their politics, are shaving years off American lives. We should pay heed.
How red-state politics are shaving years off American lives
ASHTABULA, Ohio — Mike Czup unspooled the hose to wash his hearse. It was time to pick up the body of yet another neighbor who had died in the prime of life.
Since he started working at 15 in the funeral business, Czup has seen plenty of tragedies. But the 52-year-old said he’s still coming to grips with a disturbing fact about the bodies he washes, embalms and entombs: About a quarter of the people he buries are younger than him, as residents in this once-thriving coal town are dying earlier and earlier.
In the past six months, Czup has arranged the funerals of a 37-year-old killed by complications from diabetes, a 54-year-old killed by lung disease and a 54-year-old killed by a stroke, among many others who died prematurely.
Whether we admit it or not, it's true that actions have consequences.
Ashtabula’s problems are Ohio’s problems — and in large part, America’s problems.
Americans are more likely to die before age 65 than residents of similar nations, despite living in a country that spends substantially more per person on health care than its peers.
What is being investigated and written about is that any states policies, driven by their politics, are shaving years off American lives. We should pay heed.