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Re:Switzerland in the age of automatic exchange of banking i... by nradov on Wednesday September 18, 2019 @08:56PM (#21012164)
The factors which shorten average lifespans for Americans by a few years relative to some other developed countries are almost entirely lifestyle issues. They aren't actually caused by geographic location or government problems.
Re:Switzerland in the age of automatic exchange of banking i... by erikpukinskis on Wednesday September 18, 2019 @11:26PM (#21012998)
I think that’s debatable. France for example goes to great lengths to preserve local food culture and the protection of locally produced heirloom foods.

The US government couldn’t care less. If everyone decided to eat only TV dinners and shelf stable snacks that would be A-OK, even desirable because that kind of thing leads to GDP growth. France would never allow it.

US governments are borderline contemptuous of tradition, and tend to court radical reinventions of basic needs. That leads to people getting hurt, but is great for the economy.

Re:Switzerland in the age of automatic exchange of banking i... by filoleg on Thursday September 19, 2019 @02:14AM (#21013748)
>If everyone decided to eat only TV dinners and shelf stable snacks that would be A-OK

>France would never allow it.

While I do not support eating unhealthy foods like that on a regular basis at all (I have some sort of instinctive repulsion towards that), I do support allowing adults to have the freedom to make their own choices regarding what they eat.

Re:Switzerland in the age of automatic exchange of banking i... by erikpukinskis on Thursday September 19, 2019 @02:12PM (#21018920)
By and large, American grocers don’t sell food like that, so we don’t really have the choice.

In the U.S. no one is going to force you to buy anything, but no one will save you when your market disappears.

It’s a kind of freedom, but it’s not “more choice”. It’s often less choice.