[mrmistoffelees]

Originally Posted by Chris

This is a question all governments answer all the time, with regards to health policy. In wars, they answer it too, in terms of acceptable losses balanced against military advantage.

I'm not sure how fair it is to expect a solid answer to such a question on an internet forum. I expect the balancing act is highly delicate. To attempt to just splash a figure here would be the very definition of crass. Nevertheless, just because it is a difficult question to be handled sensitively, it does not follow that the question should not be answered. It has to be.

If someone is prepared to say on an internet forum that they think there is an acceptable loss of life in order to protect the economy, they should also be prepared to provide that value and defend their viewpoint in a reasonable discussion.