Re: Larry Niven: Terrorize Latinos to Solve Health Care Crisis

On 2 May 2008 21:17:50 -0400 in rec.arts.sf.fandom, "Keith F. Lynch"
<kfl@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote,
>David Harmon <bad@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> "Mike Schilling" <mscottschilling@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote,
>>> Try going to a meeting of libertarians and explaining why herd
>>> immunity makes mandatory vaccinations a good thing.
>
>> They will have no problem with why herd immunity makes vaccinations
>> a good thing.  Where you will have trouble is with your premise that
>> every good thing must be mandatory.
>
>Right.  Another example, one that liberals will react to differently,
>is that mandatory gun owner****p gives an area herd immunity from
>crime.  Sure, there will be a tiny number of fatal abuses and fatal
>gun accidents, but then there are also a tiny number of fatal
>reactions to vaccines.

"Herd immunity" describes the reason that you get most of the
benefits of vaccines or guns _without_ having 100% coverage.
Or in other words, why it doesn't need to be mandatory.  The very
last person to get vaccinated gains the group almost nothing.
Of course he still gains some protection for himself, since neither
vaccination, nor guns, nor herd immunity are perfect.

..