We do have an answer, courtesy of our national nanny -- the federal government.

A human life is worth $6.9 million. To be more precise, that amount is the statistical value in today's dollars, calculated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Making matters worse is that your value is decreasing. You are worth nearly $1 million less than your $7.8 million value five years ago.

Before you start feeling seriously undervalued, keep in mind the assessment is for statistical purposes only. The government is not attempting to stimulate the economy by creating a new industry merchandising people.

In addition to quality-of-life issues, federal agencies find quantifying life helps justify decisions. Bureaucrats then can weigh the cost of a proposed federal regulation against the lifesaving benefits. . . .

The Bush administration is being accused of devaluing human life to discourage adoption of new federal regulations, particularly environmental rules.

Placing a value on human life is not without precedent; insurance companies write life insurance policies for specific amounts and juries assess monetary damages in wrongful death judgments.

But these are practical assessments, not solutions to an elusive puzzle.

The value of a human life, like the depth and breadth of the cosmos, remains a mystery to ponder and celebrate.

--News-Tribune

(Jefferson City, Mo.)

We know that Bruce Springsteen is "The Boss." It was a surprise to discover that Sen. Frank Lautenberg is "The Ticket Master."

As reported . . . by columnist Charles Stile, Lautenberg's campaign requested 40 tickets to [the] Springsteen concert at Giants Stadium from the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. It's not uncommon for politically connected people to make such requests. The campaign would be charged $108 a ticket.

While the special treatment is offensive enough, that Lautenberg's campaign was planning on packaging the tickets with a dinner reception in Secaucus and charging $1,500 a person is obscene. It is a flagrant abuse of a dubious privilege. There are perks that go with being in high office, but scalping should not be one of them. . . .

But . . ., reacting to the outrage over the ticket deal, the Lautenberg campaign rescinded its request for the tickets and canceled the event. In a true show of chutzpah, the campaign tried to turn the focus away from its request for the tickets and toward the sports authority's policy of giving tickets to VIPs. . . .

Springsteen's Giants Stadium concert is not a Lautenberg fundraiser, and the sports authority is not the senator's personal ticket broker.