 |
||||||||
|
2/04/2003 04:03:00 AM | Brad Plumer Rational health care The Economist never proposed that we should abandon AIDS research. They simply pointed out that, given limited funds, money can sometimes be spent more effectively purchasing cheap malaria nets to benefit 1,000 people vs. buying expensive AIDS drugs to benefit 100 people. But at the same time, yes, you are right. After looking into the numbers a bit, I found out that AIDS *is* in fact the biggest killer in Africa right now at 2 million a year (easily surpassing TB and malaria), and obviously a serious pledge to alleviate this problem is long overdue. My followup question, then, is *where* can the money best be spent? Should we skimp on funding for treatment and make a hard, expensive push for a cure? Should we aim for prevention rather than treatment (birth control, Mr. President)? The current plan seems to emphasize treatment, drugs, etc. Well, who will benefit from this? How many people can this reach? Is this actually going to help out those 42 million orphans in the most effective way possible? Obviously I run the risk of sounding like I don't care about AIDS prevention (not true), but if we're going to spend this much money I'd like to do it in a sensible and effective manner. As for attitudes towards AIDS, I agree. And unfortunately it still continues. It sickens me that there are people who are afraid to go help out in Africa "because of AIDS" (yes, these people exist!), or afraid to have contact with gay people "because of AIDS." Blah. Well, at the very least, Bush did seem "genuinely" concerned and ready to break this hesitancy, and ready to recognize that um, we've got ourselves a crisis. Like everyone else, I'll believe it when I see it, but it's encouraging nonetheless... perma link |
| 0 comments
0 Comments: |
Dartmouth The Free Press Alums for Social Change The Green Magazine The Dartmouth Dartmouth Observer Dartmouth Review Dartlog Inner Office The Little Green Blog Welton Chang's Blog Vox in Sox MN Publius (Matthew Martin) Netblitz Dartmouth Official News Other Blogs Ampersand Atrios Arts & Letters Altercation Body and Soul Blog For America Brad DeLong Brad Plumer CalPundit Campus Nonsense Clarksphere Crooked Timber Cursor Daily Kos Dean Nation Dan Drezner The Front Line Instapundit Interesting Times Is That Legal? Talking Points Memo Lady-Likely Lawrence Lessig Lean Left Left2Right Legal Theory Matthew Yglesias Ms. Musings MWO Nathan Newman New Republic's &c. Not Geniuses Ornicus Oxblog Pandagon Political State Report Political Theory Daily Review Queer Day Roger Ailes SCOTUS blog Talk Left TAPPED Tacitus This Modern World Tough Democrat Untelevised Volokh Conspiracy Washington Note X. & Overboard Magazines, Newspapers and Journals Boston Globe Ideas Boston Review Chronicle of Higher Education Common Dreams Dissent In These Times Mother Jones New York Review of Books New York Times Salon Slate The American Prospect The Nation The New Republic The Progressive Tikkun Tom Paine Village Voice Washington Monthly Capitol Hill Media ABC's The Note American Journalism Review Columbia Journalism Review CQ Daily Howler Donkey Rising The Hill Medianews National Journal NJ Hotline NJ Wake-up call NJ Early Bird NJ Weekly Political Wire Roll Call Spinsanity Search Search the DFP  |
|||||||
The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Dartmouth College or the Dartmouth Free Press.