Jon Stewart reveals threat deadlier than Islamic State, Ebola combined

Anyone watching the news lately can be forgiven for assuming that everyone is going to be dead in a few weeks. Threats from extremists, threats from viruses, threats from all over the place are given wall-to-wall coverage.

But on Thursday’s episode of “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart reminded viewers that the number of people who have died from those things, “can be counted on two Simpsons hands.” However, there is another threat that’s kills 600,000 Americans a year: heart disease.

“That’s like Milwaukee disappearing every year,” Stewart said. Or like “if you added all the Americans killed by ISIS and Ebola and added almost 600,000 to it.”

Conservative politicians have flooded the airwaves to drum up fear of attack or illness, he said, but when it comes to raising awareness of something that’s killing a lot of people, they’re dismissive of government’s role in protecting lives. They also resist expanding Medicaid, he added.

But then Stewart dived into an even touchier issue: gun deaths.

“The government has a sacred obligation to do whatever it takes to save American lives unless it’s through a law that criminals would break,” Stewart said.

And then climate change. Again, major pushback from politicans to do anything, he said.

“It’s like people are saying ‘When I die, I want to know my preventable death has a label on it that says ‘Made in America,’” Stewart said.

You can watch the whole segment here.

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