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

David Harmon <bad@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> "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.

Whether there's any benefit to it being mandatory depends on what
proportion are willing to do it voluntarily.  With either vaccines or
guns, the last few people's benefit is likely to be negative.  Their
risk of catching the disease or being a victim of crime is negligible
either way, but if they get the vaccine or buy a gun, they're at risk
for a bad reaction or a gun accident.
-- 
Keith F. Lynch - http://keithlynch.net/
Please see http://keithlynch.net/email.html
before emailing me.