Well, I see your point about apples vs. oranges. But, if society's aim is to protect its citizens from untimely death, then a rational approach should be taken, not an emotional one. If a rational examination finds that on average 1,000 Americans die per year from terrorism, and 43,800 die per year from auto deaths, then we have to decide how to most effectively save our citizen's lives. How many people die from wrongly prescribed drugs? 1,000s per year. Can we correct that situation? Hell yes, with computer technology, wrongly filled drug prescriptions could be mostly a thing of the past. Why not invest in something like that to save our citizens lives?
Preventing terrorism is a high profile way of preventing deaths and ensuring budgets. It's something pols can run on. Even if people are far more likely to die from a car accident or a bad prescription, they'll still vote their emotionally-driven fear of terrorism. Such is life. |
