(Replying to PARENT post)
This seems to hinge on the assumption that we should value our lives infinitely. This isn't particularly logical, however, given the fact that most people do dangerous things. If you are like most people, you probably want to maximize your total happiness over the course of your life, regardless of how long it is. Would you rather be miserable and live to be 80, or live happily until 50?
So if the cost of mitigating such an event happening results in a lower expected net happiness than the cost of of the event happening (including all future happiness) multiplied by the probability of it happening, it would make logical sense to not attempt to mitigate it.
(Replying to PARENT post)
"Every death or injury is a sad thing, but the fact is that many happen every day, and we should not let these few upset us disproportionally more than the others. Let's make an effort not to get bent out of shape about them, so that we can resist when people try to cite them as an excuse for tyranny."
You're picking out his statement of proportionality as some sort of logical flaw in his argument, but you're completely missing the main point.
(Replying to PARENT post)
Here's the list and mitigation strategies if any: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm
1 - Heart disease: don't eat foodstuffs that are known to increase the probability of heart disease, get plenty of cardio.
2 - Cancer: avoid all known carcinogens, refined sugars, etc. stay out of the sun (made easy by being in a Hazmat suit all the time)
3 - Chronic lower respiratory diseases: avoid exposure to transmission vectors, hazmat suit solves this.
4 - Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): Similar to 1
5 - Accidents (unintentional injuries): Don't participate in risky movements or behaviors, wear a helmet at all times, keep a comprehensive first aid kit on your person with all modern emergency responder equipment. Follow the buddy rule, but don't stay too close, stay away from high probability of injury transport methods.
6 - Alzheimer's disease: no known mitigation strategy
7 - Diabetes: mostly diet, see #1 and 4
8 - Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: no known strategy, but don't eat foods that might challenge your kidneys
9 - Influenza and Pneumonia: Hazmat suit, solved
10 - Intentional self-harm (suicide): don't do this, solved
and then way down the list...
NNN - Death by terrorism with a probability so low that even during an active terrorist attack RMSs conjecture is to just keep on keeping on with your normal day-to-day routine.