AMERICA IS KILLING ITSELF. DOES ANYONE CARE?
A shorter version of this article first appeared as an op-ed piece in the Omaha World-Herald on March 7, 2023.
Americans understand the threats we face in an unsettled world. A war in Ukraine, a worldwide refugee crisis, a crazed dictator in Russia, and a surging economic and military giant in China. Across the globe, democracy seems in full retreat.
But a far greater danger looms here at home.
It’s us. With every passing year, America keeps killing itself.
No, I’m not just talking about suicide. For a host of reasons, American death rates are soaring.
Let’s look at some basic numbers. By 2015, an average American could expect to live nearly 80 years. We’ve been going downhill ever since. This past year, life expectancy dipped to barely 76. For native American males, the figure was a shocking 61.5 years.
What’s going on? Certainly, COVID took its toll. To date, over 1.1 million Americans have died from the pandemic, giving us one of the highest COVID death rates among western nations.
But there’s more to the story. Suicides are increasing here in the states at a time when they are falling in the rest of the world. Since 2000, U.S. suicides have jumped by 33%, and currently take over 45,000 lives each year.
Opioid overdoses are killing another 100,000 Americans. Alcohol takes an additional 95,000.
Automobile accident fatalities increased over 10% in the past year. With nearly 46,000 deaths, we lead the developed world in both fatality rate and absolute numbers. Anyone paying attention on our highways knows that Americans are driving faster, angrier, and more aggressively than ever.
Obesity and poor diets also take their toll. Over 42% of Americans are obese. Diabetes rates are skyrocketing—along with massive costs. Yet options for prevention and treatment are limited. In many areas, fast food is more available than fresh groceries, and in some instances, cheaper.
Are you working two jobs and exhausted? No grocery stores within miles, you don’t have a car, and buses are late more often than on time? That burger may be your only option.
Vaccination rates for both children and adults are plummeting, owing in no small part to a rabid anti-vaccine campaign that was well underway even before COVID. This will mean increased deaths from diseases once considered preventable. What happens when the next pandemic hits? It won’t be pretty.
The role of firearms in a country that swamps the rest of the world in gun ownership must be acknowledged. Whether measured in murders, accidents, mass shootings or suicides, guns are killing over 45,000 Americans annually. Conservatives are quick to note high homicide rates in Democratically controlled large cities, while liberals point to statewide murder rates that are highest in solidly Republican states. Both are correct.
Liberals maintain that bringing American gun laws more in line with the rest of the world would save lives, while conservatives counter that better mental health policy is the key. We need both.
Unfortunately, most American politicians would rather argue about these issues than actually do anything. The result? They refuse to put their money where their mouth is. Florida, for example, was one of the first states to codify “stand your ground” laws. Since then, their firearms mortality has increased by over 32%. Could better mental health have prevented this? Who knows? Florida spends just $36 per capita on mental health services, the lowest in the nation.
Let’s be clear. Throughout the country, mental health is underfunded, undervalued, and needs far greater support. But mental health alone won’t fix our increasing death rates.
And don’t get me started on health insurance. According to a Harvard University study, as well as estimates by the American Public Health Association, up to 45,000 Americans die each year because of a lack of health insurance. Research by Public Citizen indicates that as many as 33% of COVID deaths in the U.S. were tied to a lack of insurence.
Tackling any of these issues individually would be difficult enough, but in an environment in which people distrust—or even hate—science, their government, and even their own neighbors, solutions will be even harder to find.
Despite all its wealth and prosperity, America seems intent on killing itself. Our enemies, of course, are watching all of this with glee.
We all own this. Independent of our political passions, can we rationally discuss the root causes of our spiraling death rate and come up with realistic solutions? Or will we continue to make excuses while America’s mortality grows?