"...there’s us because an ancestor took a risk and climbed down out of a tree."  Maybe for you but nor for many of us!  Why you think gov't is so smart is beyond me.  When I graduated from UW, the last place anyone wanted to be seen was in a gov't job!  Smart people usually go out and DO something not sit behind a desk shoveling paper back and forth.  

Just "living" comes with inherent risks, but that is as it should be!  Nothing and noone is ever going to be able to protect themselves from everything, so use some brains and wisdom and then you weigh the advantages against the disadvantages and go for it!

Anyway, when the big one hits, have you thought about just going back up in your tree?