Tim Worstall

Talk About Missing The Point.

NY Times has a piece on Scotland and health. Notes some of the right things:

"If the countries of the United Kingdom were regarded as separate
entities, then life expectancy in Scotland would, for women, be the
lowest" in Western Europe, "and for men, the second lowest after

Portugal," the report’s introduction said.

Amazing how they manage to miss the point that Scotland has the highest level of Govt subsidy, both in general and in the NHS. It was Freedom and Whisky  that pointed this out….OK, OK, I know, obviously the NYT is not going to point out that the State is injurious to health.


In

4 responses

  1. Gareth Avatar
    Gareth

    This unenviable record has nothing to do with health spending and everything to do with full Scottish breakfasts (fried bacon/flat sausage/haggis/black pudding/egg/toast, beans and hash brown), chips and irn bru for lunch, ten pints of heavy and a deep fried pizza for supper all chased down with forty tabs.
    It’s just a shame that the English taxpayer has to pick up the tab.
    And before someone moans at this post I’d just like to point out that I just lived up in Scotland for the last four years and that’s what I had to eat, drink and smoke 😉
    Tim adds: well, I see your point, but there’s nothing inherently unhealthy in the diet (apart from the tabs of course) if you are still doing heavy manual labour. 4,000-5,000 calories a day is fine if you then work it off.

    Reply
  2. BR (Visitor from wizbangblog) Avatar
    BR (Visitor from wizbangblog)

    Hi Tim!
    Re: “…the State is injurious to your health.”
    Yes, injurious to education too! I just saw on FOX news last night that American school kids rank 28th amongst 40 countries in math – but the highest in dollars-per-child spent on education. Health and Education are not even supposed to be govt-funded, per the US Constitution. It’s just more of the same old socialist, do-gooder sabotage of what should be individual and family responsibility and freedom.

    Reply
  3. Gareth Avatar
    Gareth

    The trouble is that most don’t burn 5000 calories Tim. And no fried food is not healthy if you do exercise, it is of little nutritional value and is high in saturated fat and acrilymide.
    I found the Scots to be particularly unheathly in their ways – and coming from an Englishman that’s really something (let’s face it we’re not reknowned for our diets).
    The Scots also have their genes to blame for the high rates of cancer and heart disease – it’s no coincidence that they share the western worlds’ worst heart disease and cancer with the Northern Irish; their close relatives.

    Reply
  4. Ed Snack Avatar
    Ed Snack

    A bit foolish to claim “but there’s nothing inherently unhealthy in the diet (apart from the tabs of course)”, although a bit of irony is undoubtedly present. Common sense alone would suggest that this is not a balanced diet. Blame government subsidies if you must, but the Scots do nothing for themselves on the diet front.

    Reply

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