It’s people’s reactions to genetic information that’s the trouble. Should people with a disposition toward carpal tunnel syndrome be turned down for computing jobs, when ergonomic keyboards and wrist-support gloves are readily available? I suggest not; this would be overreacting, jumping at shadows. Should the company ignore this data? No, as people have already pointed out, willful ignorance is a Bad Idea. But is it reasonable to ask these people to pay for their own preventative gear, since they’re more likely to require it than other employees? Or conversely, should special keyboards and gloves be provided freely to susceptible employees and at a charge to others, in the intrests of cutting down on both equipment and injury-compensation costs?

Varying people’s health insurance costs based on their current status, like alcoholism or smoking, is an accepted practice. Basing it on genetic predispositions also makes statistical sense. But doing the latter doesn’t account for human free will: the ability to make lifestyle choices that reduces person’s chances of developing a problem, despite genetics. A really good health insurance pricing scheme could take such choices into account as well.

The problem isn’t the knowledge; it’s what we do once we have it. Acting wisely on this new information is good; it’s overreacting that causes problems.

Discouraging others from perpetuating known problems, with the attendant costs to society in general, is wrong… it is not the American way. We should all share equally in the burdens of others, including homelessness and unemployment.

To do otherwise is to encourage “survival of the fittest” — and we all know that doing so is a crime against nature. Nature intended for the less-fit to be a burden upon the more fit… so as to thwart adaptation through evolution.

Personally, I feel slighted and discriminated against when they spend money researching sickle-cell anemia for the black community only, and don’t spend an equivalent amount of money researching it for other races and nationalities. It matters not that only blacks can catch the disease… we should still spend equal amounts of money in irrelevant areas in the name of “equality.” We all believe in equality, right? Well… selectively… that is. When faced with real-world examples, we quickly find how full of holes our notions and theories are.

Nature is nature… humans can’t change that. To go against nature in the name of equality is absurd. Specifically… to pretend all things are equal in situations where common sense dictates otherwise is simply pollyanna.

Want to control health care costs? Start denying GROUP coverage to smokers, alcoholics, the overweight and those who practice risky sexual behavior. I’m tired of funding their extraordinary health care costs. Maybe you should be, too.

We are not the same. Saying we’re the same hurts EVERYONE, being squeamish about declaring… whatever, that Swedes have a increased liklihood of developing X… means that we ALL then suffer for the advances that might be realized if we figure out WHY Swedes get more X.