anonymous48

Bed bugs were eradicated in the US, not kept at bay. They only came back through their reintroduction by foreigners.

I think you misread my post. I compared the prevalence of certain parasites and infectious diseases in the 1960s with the present and observed a regression. I said nothing about the state of affairs in the 19th century.

They do understand. That's why they're willing to fund, even out-of-pocket, disease prevention efforts... Just so long as the disease is highly contagious or something they already have or likely will have (like Sergei and Parkinson's disease), because doing so protects them as well: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-ceo-larry-page-bought-...

Naked pursuit of self-interest cleverly disguised as altruism. For other stuff, don't expect Larry to open his wallet for you.

This is quite distressing, showing how our quality of life has actually regressed by some metrics rather than improved as is normally assumed. Americans of the 1960s did not have to worry about Chagas, Malaria, or Bed Bugs. These were parasites that had been eradicated. It even seemed possible then that TB, a scourge on humanity for centuries, might soon, at least in the US, meet a similar fate. Now it, like the parasites, has come back full force.

Though neither the author nor the posters here will identify the culprit, I think it should be obvious to all but the most deluded progressive that this is a consequence of unchecked mass immigration to the US--a consequence I doubt economists factor into their models when trying to justify conclusions about its benefits.