If you're cynical, the value of the facility itself is also likely factored into the calculations of command.

Just like western powers rushed to defend Kuwait (oil) when Saddam Hussein invaded, and didn't lift a finger for a million dying in genocide in Rwanda (and plenty of other places since).

No one is ever going to go into
Africa with the intention of "bettering" the place. Why? well you think we spent a lot of time men and resources in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those expenses wouldn't come close to what someone would need to pacify and manage any part of Africa.

A lot of the time we do value things like oil, or a facility of importance, etc. Problem is that sometimes those facilities and so forth can save lives in the long term, as is probably the case with the mining facility in the comic - powering space colonies with material and power and such is obviously pretty important :P

Jay's the type to value people from the perspective of 'I may not know them... but somebody does, therefor they are of equal importance'
In this case though, it's the mere *chance* to save everyone vs the *guarantee* to save at least some that he's weighing. A shitty moral dilemma, to be sure :P

At equal importance, it's a strictly numerical equation.

I think one could solve this one mathematically too if one had a reasonable idea of the risk of losing everyone vs guaranteeing the majority. Mathematically one course of action would preserve the greatest number on a statistical basis, presuming people hold equal value.

Jay doesn't seem the type to exactly act rashly however from what we've seen so far - there probably is a good chance he can save them all, extrapolating from his conduct generally.

Perhaps because Communism is pretty much the best "logical" path. Though that whole pesky 'humanity' concept and our emotions and so on kind of get in the way... so it's hard to argue it's the logical path (or even a good one) for us, really.

Socialism looks great on paper, in practice, Greed's a green eyed bitch...