Subject: FW: Big pharma
So, you don’t think Big Pharma’s profits are excessive? OR they don’’t influence politicians too much? Read this artcle:
The U.S. Congress has an approval rating at less than 5%. In fact, porn, polygamy and the BP oil spill rate higher than Congress. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's rating within his country in 2011 was twice as high as the U.S. Congress current approval rating. And this was before the New York Times shined a light on their shady dealings with pharmaceutical giant Amgen that cost the American people more than 1/2 billion dollars.
Millions of dollars spent by Amgen, who has 74 lobbyists in Washington, kissing up to members of congress has come back to them in a nice gift...with a bow. Our trusted public servants were happy to help Amgen by delaying price restraints on a class of drugs used by kidney dialysis patients. They inserted this paragraph into the fiscal cliff bill and, behind closed doors, approved it. The delay will cost the Medicare program (and your tax dollars) $500 million over the next two years.
Note that Senator Max Baucus (D, Montana) and Orrin Hatch (R, Utah) supported this shady transaction. Both senators have political and financial ties to Amgen, as does Mitch McConnell, the senate minority leader, who also influenced the deal. These three senators received substantial contributions from Amgen's PAC, $68,000 to Baucus, $59,000 to Hatch and $73,000 to McConnell.
If this isn't enough to mimic flu symptoms, Amgen had pleaded guilty a few weeks before and agreed to pay CRIMINAL and civil penalties of $762 million, the largest fine ever for a biotech company. You would think that would make them persona non gratis on capitol hill but no...they have friends in high places!
Millions of dollars spent by Amgen, who has 74 lobbyists in Washington, kissing up to members of congress has come back to them in a nice gift...with a bow. Our trusted public servants were happy to help Amgen by delaying price restraints on a class of drugs used by kidney dialysis patients. They inserted this paragraph into the fiscal cliff bill and, behind closed doors, approved it. The delay will cost the Medicare program (and your tax dollars) $500 million over the next two years.
Note that Senator Max Baucus (D, Montana) and Orrin Hatch (R, Utah) supported this shady transaction. Both senators have political and financial ties to Amgen, as does Mitch McConnell, the senate minority leader, who also influenced the deal. These three senators received substantial contributions from Amgen's PAC, $68,000 to Baucus, $59,000 to Hatch and $73,000 to McConnell.
If this isn't enough to mimic flu symptoms, Amgen had pleaded guilty a few weeks before and agreed to pay CRIMINAL and civil penalties of $762 million, the largest fine ever for a biotech company. You would think that would make them persona non gratis on capitol hill but no...they have friends in high places!
Amgen's CEO, Kevin Sharer's pay package is $21 million. That doesn't include his personal use of Amgen's jet ($247,743) a car and driver and $15,000 for financial planning services. After all, with that kind of money, you need to find lots of tax loopholes to keep it. How a company can plead guilty to CRIMINAL activity and then get the taxpayers to pay 75% of the fine is amazing. I guess Corporations really are "people"...special people with friends in the Senate.
The next time you wonder about the price of healthcare in this Country, think of our policymakers and how crooked and dishonest they are. The Fiscal Cliff was a Fiscal Gift for Amgen
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The next time you wonder about the price of healthcare in this Country, think of our policymakers and how crooked and dishonest they are. The Fiscal Cliff was a Fiscal Gift for Amgen
.
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4 comments:
For once, a truthful RW(?)F (aside from the poll number boilerplate, which is bunk).
But let's be clear: Health care is not some unsolvable problem, nor is corruption like this inevitable. We must demand -- loudly and often -- that our representatives stay honest and accountable to the citizens they serve, not corporations.
Well, well, well. Look who's finally pissed off about corporate lobbyists and corrupt politicians with an 'R' after their names.
There may be hope for you teabaggers, after all.
And good comment, anon.
" In fact, porn, polygamy and the BP oil spill rate higher than Congress."
In fact, I would go so far as to say porn rates SIGNIFICANTLY higher than congress. Just a guess, though.
About time rightwingers woke up and smelled the coffee. My memory banks may be fading, but I seem recall that one of the primary temper tantrums thrown by the Koch Brother sponsored John Birch Society 2.0, otherwise known as the astro-turfed Tea Party, was against blasted "socialized" health care, like what most of the Tea Party members "enjoy" via Medicare.
Hands off MY Medicate, Tea Partiers were directed to tirade at Town Halls across the country. But also: NO Public Option or National Health Care system is allowed. In fact, I recall Tea Partiers "demonstrating" (with a lot of help from their Fox "friends") under a Dachau sign comparing a Public Option to living in Hitler's concentration camp.
So-called "liberals" and/or Democrats pointed out that having the Bob Dole health insurance system that Obama ended up passing included lots of back-door deals with BigPharma, BigHospital, BigMedical Device, etc. I HATE ACA. It's horrible, but a BIG reason why we ended up with this POS - and why both branches of the UniParty got lotsa payola out of it - was bc of the TEA PARTY who duly vetched, whined, pissed, moaned and made a general all around nuisance of yourselves at the time. Felt all empowered and stuff. Oh well. Too bad, so sad, get used to the consequences of your stupidity & vapidity.
So what?? NOW you're awakening from your brain-dead slumbers to realize that YOU have been ripped off by BigPharma?? NOW? Gee, whillickers, TeaTards: join the queue, but you'll have to go waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back there to get behind all the dirty LIEbruls who got in line ahead of you.
Well, ok, I guess I'll give yas a tiny bit of a break if you're finally awakening to reality, but really??? It's about time, Rip van Winkle.
Oh, I won't hold my breath, though, expecting you to remember this the next time someone proposes something like expanding Medicare for All. Generally conservatives only want the "good" things for themselves, their family & their church going pals.
Heaven forbid that some lazy dirty nasty slacker dusky hued degenerate gets to partake of YOUR health care system.
meh. tempest in a teapot.
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