We're living a lot longer

According to a statistics we now average more than 77 years to death.

Now, let's pause and think this through a bit. The studies are mixed, on the one hand we are living a bit longer on average. But, the studies are filled with concern about the increase of obesity and diabetes in the post 50 crowd. This is the group that will be going on Social Security and Medicair this decade.

Our largest groundswell of people going on the government's dole will be in the next decade. Amazingly we have begun to assume a lifespan of 80 or 90 years, and the associated costs of living that long have been taken for granted.

I would suggest that the system of medicines and health care will bury us as a nation. We can't be beaten by terrorists. We can't be beaten by world leaders and rogue nations. We can't be beaten by privatization, or globalization, or out-sourcing ... But we seem easily overcome by our own desire to live forever.