The news media often feeds on drama, conflict, and fast-moving stories that get our attention right now. It’s good at this. What it’s not so good at? Stories that move slower, lack immediate drama and, in the case of television, are harder to tell visually. I don’t know whether this is the media’s fault, or the fault of consumers who don’t demand better.

In any case, this shapes our perceptions of so-called “national emergencies” that are, we are told, grave threats to our security and well-being. For example, Donald Trump, a visually-driven, non-reading president who thrives on instant conflict and drama, tells us each day that the situation on the Mexican border is one such emergency.

Actually, there are bigger things to worry about. They’re slower-moving and less visual, which means many folks aren’t thinking of them—which could actually make them even more dangerous. Here, in no particular order, is a handful (and far from comprehensive) list of under-reported things with the potential to inflict severe damage on our long-term health, national security and economic well-being.

Teachers are quitting in record numbers. The reasons are many, including low pay and poor working conditions. Question: In an ever competitive global economy, who will teach kids science, math and all the other things they’ll need to compete? A long-term threat? You better believe it.

Water. Worried about Trump’s caravans? Perhaps the more immediate threat to you and your family is as close as the faucet. “At least 33 cities across 17 states” have fudged water tests in recent years to downplay the possible presence of lead; / the health effects of lead in water can include damage to the brain, heart kidneys and nerves, as well as impaired cognition, behavioral disorders and more.

Meantime, experts warn that the twin pressures of a growing population and rising temperatures—which dry up supplies—could make water shortages more severe in the years ahead. There is virtually no part of the U.S. economy that isn’t dependent on water. Just to name three off the top of my head: housing, agriculture and beverage manufacturers. No one is exempt. A slow-moving issue? Yes. Critical to our economy, health and security? Absolutely.

Life Expectancy is falling. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show 2017 was the third consecutive decline (2018 data is not available yet). These drops have been small — a 10th of a year to 78.6 years in 2017 — but that’s enough to set off alarm bells among health and policy experts, who consider it a shocking reversal for a “wealthy” first-world country. This is connected to our next emergency.

Hidden Killers. Worried that immigrants are coming to rape and kill you? I’ll save the facts and data on how immigrants commit far less crime than native-born Americans for another day—while posing this question: Why aren’t you worried about other killers that take far more lives? Drug overdoses killed 70,237 people in 2017 — quadruple 1999’s figure. There were 39,773 gun deaths in 2017, a four-decades high; nearly two-thirds of those were suicides. What, these aren’t national emergencies?

Here’s another killer: We’re a nation of fatties. More than one in three Americans—perhaps you?—are obese, more than twice the rate of other countries, according to data compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Talk about a national security threat: 100 million Americans—100 million—are either diabetic or pre-diabetics and there’s not enough insulin to go around. Not that everyone can afford it anyway—as our next emergency shows.

Empty piggy banks. What’s in your wallet? Perhaps nothing: Four in 10 Americans can’t even cover an unexpected $400 expense, according to the Federal Reserve. What happens, and who pays, when these tens of millions of Americans living on the brink—maybe you again?—have some sort of crisis? Medical care for your child that you can’t handle, for example? We need to be honest here: Huge numbers of Americans are in deep trouble, and the spillover burden to the broader economy could be huge.

Foreigners fleeing. Until 2017, the United States was a magnet for foreign capital. For example, in 2015, foreigners invested $482 billion here. In 2016: $486 billion. But in 2017 that plunged 40% to $292 billion, and preliminary data show this number fell even more last year.

There are several reasons for this, acknowledges the Organization for International Investment, a Washington-based trade group that represents U.S. subsidiaries of overseas corporations. Yet one of them is undeniable: It is, the report says, “a response to import tariffs and other trade actions from the Trump administration as international companies hit the pause button on potential investments.”

Maybe you don’t care what foreigners think, but money talks. Nearly seven million Americans work for a foreign employer. When the rest of the world loses confidence in America, and takes its money elsewhere, watch out. The economic and security ramifications could be significant.

I haven’t even mentioned perhaps the biggest long-term threat—climate change. Talk about an economic, security and health threat. Be skeptical, if you wish, perhaps you can afford to be. I suspect your children—and certainly your grandchildren—won’t have that luxury.