# Additional Deaths **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 17, 2011, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679 "2011-02-17T06:36:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/1 "2011-02-17T06:36:27Z")
If I hear one more time about how x-thousand more people died because of a certain political policy I am going to scream. Everyone dies. If we cure cancer there will be a short term reduction in how many people die in a year, but it will eventually go back to where it was. What we need to look at is life expectancy and quality of life. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/2 "2011-02-17T06:53:48Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > If I hear one more time about how x-thousand more people died because of a certain political policy I am going to scream. Everyone dies. If we cure cancer there will be a short term reduction in how many people die in a year, but it will eventually go back to where it was. What we need to look at is life expectancy and quality of life. Absolutely. Next! ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/3 "2011-02-17T07:09:13Z")
How old are you? Everyone dies, but some people die sooner than others. I’m sure the families of those killed in Iraq 50 years before the time they could be expected to die are touched by your concern. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/4 "2011-02-17T07:27:48Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > …If we cure cancer there will be a short term reduction in how many people die in a year, but it will eventually go back to where it was. What we need to look at is life expectancy and quality of life. You don’t think life expectancy and quality of life would both be improved if we cure cancer? ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/5 "2011-02-17T09:15:52Z")
What are you, some kind of cancer-lover? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/6 "2011-02-17T13:54:48Z")
It sounds fine in theory, but in practice Republicans are always trying to pass laws making it legal to kill minorities and poor people using cyanide. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/7 "2011-02-17T14:08:37Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > You don’t think life expectancy and quality of life would both be improved if we cure cancer? Life expectancy, yes – quality of life, no. While curing cancer would be wonderful and all, eventually we’d need to address the question of where all these people who are no longer dying of cancer are going to live. We’re already ripping through our natural resources are an alarming rate – what happens when the death rate gets slashed like that? ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/8 "2011-02-17T14:10:19Z")
We’ve got a runner. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/9 "2011-02-17T14:11:02Z")
I’ve got the perfect solution. Once cancer is cured once and for all and we have all these old people using up resources and taking up space … … DEATH PANELS! ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/10 "2011-02-17T14:18:24Z")
Have you ever heard the phrase “additional deaths” used without it being followed by “due to” or “caused by” some particular thing? Additional deaths in car accidents, deaths due to cancer, deaths due to the cold. I’m pretty confident that nobody anywhere has argued “this policy will cause 1,000 additional deaths” period. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/11 "2011-02-17T14:32:34Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > Have you ever heard the phrase “additional deaths” used without it being followed by “due to” or “caused by” some particular thing? Additional deaths in car accidents, deaths due to cancer, deaths due to the cold. Which reminds me: it seem pretty clear that if we could somehow arrange for people with cancer to die in car wrecks in cold weather, that would cut the death rate by two-thirds. I wonder why the Republicans don’t support such an initiative. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/12 "2011-02-17T14:36:01Z")
[QUOTE=Jack Batty] I’ve got the perfect solution. Once cancer is cured once and for all and we have all these old people using up resources and taking up space … … DEATH PANELS! [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Hal Briston] Life expectancy, yes – quality of life, no. While curing cancer would be wonderful and all, eventually we’d need to address the question of where all these people who are no longer dying of cancer are going to live. We’re already ripping through our natural resources are an alarming rate – what happens when the death rate gets slashed like that? [/QUOTE] Wait a minute, we could just make a mandatory death age. Then we could take all the dead old people and reprocess their bodies as a renewable resource. My guess is that the result would be some kind of green cracker. Best not to tell the general populace though. I gotta wonder to myself how I come up with these great ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/13 "2011-02-17T15:24:22Z")
Personally, I’m opposed to cancer. Except if a super-cancer could go back in time and kill Hitler in 1930. I’m not opposed to THAT cancer. Also, Soylent Green is made of soybeans and lentils. Thus the name. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/14 "2011-02-17T16:02:27Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > You don’t think life expectancy and quality of life would both be improved if we cure cancer? Yes I do. People will live longer and they will be healthier in their lifetime. What I don’t think is that curing cancer will mean less people will die in the long term. And of course I am outraged at the deaths in Iraq. Since it is young people dieing it is particularly bad. When a 90 year old dies it is sad, when a 22 year old soldier dies it’s a tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/15 "2011-02-17T16:04:16Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Which reminds me: it seem pretty clear that if we could somehow arrange for people with cancer to die in car wrecks in cold weather, that would cut the death rate by two-thirds. I wonder why the Republicans don’t support such an initiative. Maybe they can be mowing the lawn at the same time and be accidentally shot. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/16 "2011-02-17T16:10:07Z")
In other words when you murder someone, you don’t really kill them. You kill them _early_. This is a ridiculous nitpick. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/17 "2011-02-17T18:35:42Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > … we could just make a mandatory death age. … But how would we know? CMC fnord! Hmmm, maybe some implanted timer that would change color when our time was up? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/18 "2011-02-17T18:56:20Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > Yes I do. People will live longer and they will be healthier in their lifetime. What I don’t think is that curing cancer will mean less people will die in the long term. > > And of course I am outraged at the deaths in Iraq. Since it is young people dieing it is particularly bad. When a 90 year old dies it is sad, when a 22 year old soldier dies it’s a tragedy. As Lord Keynes said, in the long run we are all dead. I had an on-line friend in the late '70s who got a rare and inoperable form of brain cancer. Her death in her early 20s was a tragedy. That was lost years. If my 94 year old father in law got something like that, I know he would like the opportunity to terminate his life without causing additional suffering to him or anyone else. If he were allowed to do that, it would not be an additional death. What was your point again? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/19 "2011-02-17T19:28:31Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Personally, I’m opposed to cancer. What are you some kind of hippy? Personally folks I am proud to say that I am pro-cancer. So if you’re not some pussy hippy douchebag vote Tahssa this November. This ad has been approved by Tahssa for President. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679/20 "2011-02-17T21:38:50Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > What are you, some kind of cancer-lover? I really don’t think we need to bring astrology into this. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/additional-deaths/571679.md?page=2)