it seems that conservatives, liberals, libertarians, and the rest of the people are all on the same page on this. I think this is the first time, that i have expreinced, that pretty much all people of this country are united on a issue. thats crazy after all the "two americas", liberal rights, conservative rights,....
__________________
__________________
In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.
Welcome to Russia I believe I heard a talk show host say the other day.
Why do criminals have more rights than the people like me working hard everyday just to try to make ends meet?
Yeah I know the answers, just tired of the BS and hypocrisy (spelling?)!
ha ha some developer just propose plans to build a hotel on the property of one of the judges that passed the rulings just recently. if accepted the developer is gonna call the hotel the "lost liberty hotel".
i hope the city accepts the developers proposal.
__________________
__________________
In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.
Things are in a bit of a turmoil right now. A Quebec court had ruled that it is acceptable for private insurance money to be used to purchase private medical services (eg. MRI). The concern is the gov't spends $$$ subsidizing medical schools and then all the best doctors go work for high wages at the private clinics, leaving the 'dregs' for eveyone who can't afford the private clinics. This on top of the population aging and medical treatment costs and drug costs soaring. Something's going to pop, and soon. The provinces have been working at improving the public system, but are hamstrung by the political crap going on with the federal government.
Not a whole lot different from what my doctor says is happening in the US. He says a lot of doctors are leaving family practice and hospitals because the HMOs and insurance companies take forever to pay them, and pay them a fraction of their regular charges.
Doctors in the US are leaving regular practice to specialize in cosmetic surgery where the real money is, as well as laser eye surgery. Most of which are "cash and carry." Though better (executive) insurance plans pay, most don't.
As for drug costs soaring, just consider that when Americans want bargain drugs, they go to Canadian pharmacies.
One of the solutions is to increase the number of doctors by increasing the number of medical schools. Of course, then you get more "dregs", but at least you get more doctors.
Of course, if you believe in conspiracy theories, there are already cures for many extremely serious diseases, and the pharmaceutical companies are withholding them because treating disease is more profitable than curing them.
Watch, you'll see cures for intractable diseases as soon as things get so bad that it looks like the government is going to declare eminent domain over the pharmaceutical companies.
Does anyone wonder why you hear about huge breakthroughs in medicine after promising animal tests, and then you never actually see or hear about them again? No human trials, no publication in medical journals, nothing.
Because there's no profit in curing disease. There is huge profit to be found in treating disease, particularly when those treatments require the use of patented pharmaceuticals.
Maybe we should stop subsidizing research and start rewarding results.
It worked for the X-Prize.
Why couldn't it work in medicine?
Just look at all there is to be gained by NEVER producing results.
That needs to change.
__________________
Outside of a dog -- a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
:icon_rofl
........
Does anyone wonder why you hear about huge breakthroughs in medicine after promising animal tests, and then you never actually see or hear about them again? No human trials, no publication in medical journals, nothing.
.....
I think there is often a simple explanation for this that doesn't involve conspiracies, but the typical operation of our institutions. Where do we usually hear about these "break-throughs"? Through the various media outlets. Where do they get their information? From press releases issued by the institution where the researchers work (and through subsequent interviews with the researchers). Why would they do this? Money and prestige are high on the list of reasons, although they're probably not exclusive. Unfortunately, a lot of people who report the so-called breakthroughs are not well grounded in the intricacies of science and the media reports get blown out of proportion. I always cringe when I hear or read a reporter go well beyond the data when summarizing the potential significance of a set of studies. (To be fair, there are a lot of knowledgeable reporters who go out of their way to avoid this, though)
Anyway, these breakthroughs are usually a long way from any potential practical treatment and it doesn't take intentional withholding of results to guarantee this. Science moves incrementally at a snails pace compared to our desires for it to provide quick answers. A "breakthrough" is likely to be a VERY small part of the puzzle that will have to be combined with other "breakthroughs" until we get a good treatment. There will likely be many blind alleys and dead ends that researchers pursue. The "breakthrough" may never lead to a useful treatment. So, I don't find it very surprising that we never hear about "breakthroughs" again after they've been touted in the media. In my opinion, it is the inevitable result of how some of our most basic institutions operate.
(For psychiatric issues we could simply ask Tom Cruise....he knows psychiatry better than any of us.) :)
Oh, I'll give you that the simplest explanation is that things are exactly the way they appear.
But then, the problem with being constantly lied to is that the source loses credibility. For example, the drug companies keep telling the American people that drugs imported from Canada are "unsafe". Our government says the same thing. The Canadian government replies, "Our standards are as high or higher than those of the US."
Then the drug companies threaten the Canadian people with extortion, saying that "if you continue to export drugs to the US, we will stop shipments to Canada."
Given the drug industry's penchant for lying (insisting to US government officials and the public that Canadian drugs are not as safe as those sold to US citizens), profiteering (selling the same drugs in the US for 300% of the price sold in Canada) and extortion (threatening to withhold supplies from Canada if it doesn't stem the tide of drug exports), it is not necessarily too far a stretch to believe that they are not above withholding breakthrough treatments that would impact profitability.
Imagine how the medical industry would be impacted if taking a pill three times a day for a week could cure cancer or heart disease. Imagine how the health care and products industries would be impacted if a similar pill could cure obesity by tricking the body into dissolving fat and eliminating it as waste. You don't think industries which would lie and extort would also quietly find a way to prevent those breakthroughs if they occurred? We simply have no way of knowing if this has already happened, no one we can trust to prevent it from happening in the future. It is utterly clear that these companies put unreasonable profit before public health (they wouldn't be distributing to other countries at lower prices if they weren't profitable, and they have to meet similar standards of quality and safety in those countries), and the US government is their willing accomplice.
The problem is that we have no one we can trust to keep an eye on these companies to make sure they aren't suppressing breakthrough treatments that might impact the profitability of other treatments.
....
The problem is that we have no one we can trust to keep an eye on these companies to make sure they aren't suppressing breakthrough treatments that might impact the profitability of other treatments.
Can't argue with you on the truthfulness thing. Between CEOs and politicians there is certainly enough lying to go around!
that is why the gov't needs to have better (and more goal oriented) grants Your pharmaceutical company can't be trusted with a cure but a grant/reward system for a school can be.
Johnson & Johnson could ingore a 100 million reward for a cancer cure, but a college would draft it's entire student body into the project
__________________
Quote:
"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." -- John Quincy Adams
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. and To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. and To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. and To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Follow Us
RSS Feed
Follow on Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Uber Member
