Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 This Dorgan amendment would set city and state governments free to finally engage in fundamental free market price comparisons and save substantial sums of money in sourcing the very same chemical medications for their employees and retirees.
28 republicans voted against the Dorgan amendment, voting to enforce the pharmaceutical monopoly and keep Big Pharma in control of virtually the entire U.S. medication market. There were no Democrats that voted against the amendment. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 This is a tough call for republicans, since most republicans support Big Pharma and the corporate control of modern medicine, usually at the expense of the people. Democrats, though, are also on Big Pharma's payroll, as was obvious with the recent voting record on the FDA Revitilization Act co-sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy. The truth is, Big Pharma owns virtually all the politicians in Washington (except Rep. Ron Paul, of course).
The movie will definitely get America talking about serious health care reforms. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Under republicans no FDA reform ever took place. Big Pharma owns so many republicans that all meaningful legislation to curtail the deaths and injuries of American citizens at the hands of Big Pharma and the FDA had been completely thwarted for the past six years. Under Democratic control sweeping FDA reform favorable to Big Pharma was proposed and the majority of meaningful reform was blocked or seriously watered down. Which is worse? As Kennedy stated in his opening remarks today, S1082 (the Kennedy/Enzi FDA bill) was an "elaborate scheme. |
Shannon Brownlee
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 And the republicans couldn't complain because it was their own idea. In effect, Mills had taken the AMA's ammunition, put it in the Republicans' gun, and blown both of them off the map."
The restructured bill moved swiftly through Congress. On July 30, 1965, President Johnson flew to Independence, Missouri, to sign Public Law 89-97 at the Truman Presidential Museum and Library. In attendance was President Truman himself, the first chief executive to publicly support government health insurance. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Notice, too, that this sellout crosses party lines and involves both Democrats and republicans. Only one Congressman, Rep. Ron Paul (a Libertarian-leaning Republican), was attempting to introduce meaningful amendments that would protect the interests of the people. His efforts were blocked by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat.
FDA reform legislation is not about Democrats vs. republicans. It's about the wealthy elite vs. the People. Not surprisingly, the People have once again been screwed by the representatives they foolishly voted into office. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Democrats mostly won on a national knee-jerk reaction to the behavior of the republicans. The consensus seemed to be, "Anybody is better than the republicans," and many people just voted for Democrats without knowing anything about the candidates' positions on important issues.
And thus, ultimately, we may have traded one form of tyranny for another. I happen to agree with the current assessment that the republicans are extremely dangerous to America for a long list of reasons (freedom, health, ethics, etc. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| This is a tough call for republicans, since most republicans support Big Pharma and the corporate control of modern medicine, usually at the expense of the people. Democrats, though, are also on Big Pharma's payroll, as was obvious with the recent voting record on the FDA Revitilization Act co-sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy. The truth is, Big Pharma owns virtually all the politicians in Washington (except Rep. Ron Paul, of course).
The movie will definitely get America talking about serious health care reforms. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| The bill at one point contained an approved amendment that would have ended Big Pharma's monopoly over drug prices in the United States and saved consumers and businesses tens of billions of dollars by allowing them to import medications from other countries, but that provision was summarily nullified by an organized counterattack via Big Pharma-funded Democrats and republicans who sold out American consumers to the profit interests of drug companies. |
Michael J. Panzner
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 Instead of working together to resolve matters, many Democrats and republicans will get caught up in laying blame and try to gain at least a short-term advantage at the other's expense. In fact, emboldened by a dramatic reversal of fortunes following years of GOP control in Washington, a resurgent Democrat party may well decide that its overriding goal is to obliterate all signs of its rival's legacy, no matter how destructive that course might be. Some die-hard loyalists will press hard for high-profile investigations, impeachments, and even criminal trials. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| However, when the Kennedy clan joined the republicans their odd Big Pharma-sponsored coalition held an advantage. This group of Senators undermined the free market and perpetuated the high cost of drugs in this country compared to all others countries -- a 50 billion dollar gift to Big Pharma.
Double talk became the order of the day. On the one hand it was funny to watch, as Democrats attacked each other. On the other hand it was sad to watch, as this pathetic debate will result in window-dressing reform, with enough Big Pharma loopholes to drive a Mack Truck through. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 While republicans certainly have stronger ties to drug companies, when push comes to shove Democrats will sell out their constituents just the same. The pocketbook of no citizen is safe when Congress is in session, and any voter who thinks one political party or another is going to come to the rescue and actually protect the interests of consumers is hopelessly naive.
Action items: Here's what you can do now
The battle over S.1082 is not yet over. All these recent debates are over amendments to the bill. The bill itself has not yet come to a floor vote (but it will soon). |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| FDA reform legislation is not about Democrats vs. republicans. It's about the wealthy elite vs. the People. Not surprisingly, the People have once again been screwed by the representatives they foolishly voted into office. If anything, this event proves that U.S. lawmakers have no interest in protecting America's future. They are only interested in the next election, the next career move or the next power play. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 That's why people who believe in freedom (real freedom, not the George Bush version of freedom) are wholeheartedly supporting Ron Paul, regardless of whether they're Democrats, republicans or Libertarians.
I encourage everyone to check out Ron Paul. Do your research. You'll find he's very nearly the only honest lawmaker left in Washington. If you're going to vote for anybody in this next election, vote your conscience. Vote for the person who most reflects honesty, integrity, and the empowerment of the people. Learn more at www.RonPaul2008. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 And the republicans? They seem closely allied with Big Pharma and have no apparent reason to offer reforms that would disturb Big Pharma's monopoly over medicine in America.
Challenging the status quo
This is precisely what makes Ron Paul the exception: He's willing to shake up the establishment and end the FDA's campaign of tyranny and oppression against the American people. At the same time, he's looking to dismantle the IRS, restore honesty to the U.S. money supply (requiring that the currency be backed by gold) and end our illegal war on Iraq and Afghanistan. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Like you, I despise most republicans. They're mostly corrupt, criminal-minded rich fat cats who are destroying our freedoms and driving this country into unprecedented debt. They believe in criminalizing hemp farming, destroying the environment, promoting Big Pharma, defending Big Oil, monopolizing health care and waging illegal wars around the world. But Ron Paul is no such Republican.
Paul is actually a libertarian, meaning he believes in personal liberties and follows the commonsense economic philosophies of people like Ludwig von Mises (www.Mises.org). |
Charles Barber
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 Democrats responded to the 9/11 imagery with far more activity in the amygdala—the part of the brain that responds to threats and danger— than did the republicans. The UCLA neuroscientist who conducted the scans didn't think much of the traditional methodologies used by political scientists and consultants, like focus groups, to gauge the mood of the electorate. "It seemed so last century," Professor Joshua Freedman said. "Consultants were quoting Freud as if it was cutting edge. It was all about interpretation instead of using new technology to measure what's actually happening in the mind. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 This may be a strategy by Pelosi to disallow pro-Pharma amendments from various congressional republicans who want to water down the language, but it also has the side effect of sidelining important health freedom amendments that did not make it into the Senate version of the bill.
HR 2900 is the mirror image of Senate Bill 1082 that claimed to reform the FDA but mostly gave the agency more money and power, even creating a new entity (Reagan-Udall) that squarely puts FDA leaders in the drug business. |
Charles Barber
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| There is a neat party distinction, by the way, when politicians get into psychic trouble: Democratic politicians and their wives tend to suffer from mental illness (Eagleton, Kitty Dukakis, Tipper Gore), and republicans from drug abuse (Betty Ford, George W. Bush). Only one in five voters said the press should report that a presidential candidate is taking antidepressants, placing it below spouse abuse, income tax evasion, exaggerated military or academic record, ongoing or past affair, homosexuality, cocaine and marijuana use, or a past drinking problem as an area of concern. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 The Bush Administration is against the bill and offered sharp objections to the bill's provisions, saying it would slow down drug approvals. republicans also argued that the banning of drug advertisements on television was "unconstitutional."
The bill aims to accomplish several things:
1) Allow the FDA to fine drug companies that fail to conduct post-approval safety studies.
2) Allow the FDA to ban advertising of new drugs for two years after their initial approval. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Democratics and republicans, you see, don't really fight over whether the American people should be poisoned or not. They simply fight about who should be in power while the poisoning takes place. Both parties ultimately support the powerful corporations that put them into office in the first place.
#3 End FDA corruption and radically reform this criminal agency
Really cleaning up health care requires some courageous action against the criminals running the Food and Drug Administration. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Republicans who seem to be in bed with drug companies.
The American people deserve better than this. It is time to ban drug ads for good, and protect Americans from the fraudulent hype, propaganda and quackery of pharmaceutical medicine. The era of pretending that synthetic chemicals could cure disease is over. Let's bury it and move on to natural health solutions that really work. Diabetes is curable. So is cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, depression and Alzheimer's disease. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 A" students. republicans convulsed in an uproar, claiming that the troops are not only smart enough to win the war in Iraq, but their Commander In Chief is also so smart that someday he hopes to learn how to pronounce the word, "Nuclear."
For the less gifted among us, please note that the word "Nuclear" is not pronounced "New-Cue-Ler." If you didn't know that, then you definitely qualify as an idiot and may want to consider running for public office. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| The consensus seemed to be, "Anybody is better than the republicans," and many people just voted for Democrats without knowing anything about the candidates' positions on important issues.
And thus, ultimately, we may have traded one form of tyranny for another. I happen to agree with the current assessment that the republicans are extremely dangerous to America for a long list of reasons (freedom, health, ethics, etc.), and that Democrats are the best reasonable alternative for the moment, but I'm also acutely aware of the risk of voting out of reaction rather than careful contemplation. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 In fact, for decades, republicans and Democrats alike have been competing with each other just to see who can create the most voter entitlements while accelerating the nation toward financial collapse. So far, the republicans are winning by a long shot. President Bush has put the nation in deeper debt than any president in history, and there always seems to be another excuse to justify even more deficit spending. There are all sorts of crises that can be sold to the voters as a reason for more spending. |
Greg Critser
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 These efforts reinforced the natural instinct of most republicans (and more than a few Democrats) to accommodate the interests of private enterprise when making policy, if at all possible."
Pharmaceutical money, "natural instinct," accommodation, republicans, Democrats, the FDA: what, exactly, remains of the old, independent buffering force? It is, to reiterate the wisdom of Medical Marketing and Media, totally "out of sight." And mind.
At least until lately . . . |
Devra Davis
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 Republicans and Democrats, combined forces to keep cigarettes safe from control until the 1990s.
In the late 1970s, I worked briefly in the administration of President Jimmy Carter. Today President Carter is known for his global interests. Back then he was struggling politically with many different agendas. Tobacco industry influence permeated the Carter administration like a smelly cigar. It certainly appeared that the requirement for a political appointment to a health post in the Carter administration was being a chain-smoker. Douglas Costle headed up the Environmental Protection Agency. |
Shannon Brownlee
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| In effect, Mills had taken the AMA's ammunition, put it in the Republicans' gun, and blown both of them off the map."
The restructured bill moved swiftly through Congress. On July 30, 1965, President Johnson flew to Independence, Missouri, to sign Public Law 89-97 at the Truman Presidential Museum and Library. In attendance was President Truman himself, the first chief executive to publicly support government health insurance.
Mills was hailed by senior citizens' groups as one of the fathers of Medicare, which was a good sign for his presidential hopes. |
| At the meeting, Mills told the republicans he liked their Bettercare idea so much that he intended to fold it into the Medicare legislation, creating a three-tiered program. The bottom layer would become Medicaid, which would cover the indigent; the middle layer would be Medicare, which would cover the costs of hospital, nursing home, and home health care for the elderly; and the top layer he borrowed from Bettercare, a voluntary supplemental insurance to cover doctor's fees, in and out of hospitals. Cohen said later, "Like everyone else in the room, I was stunned by Mills' strategy. |
| It did not cover physician fees at all. The republicans and the AMA were pushing a competing bill, dubbed "Bettercare," that did cover physician fees. But there was another difference between the two pieces of legislation: Bettercare would allow recipients to have a small deduction taken from their Social Security checks. Those deductions, which were entirely voluntary, were to be used, along with funds from the general treasury, to purchase private health insurance policies only for the senior citizens who wanted them. |
| Mills worried that many citizens would be disappointed in the program—and angry at the party that gave it to them— once they discovered how little it really covered, a possibility the AMA and several republicans were already exploiting by telling the public that Medicare would reimburse only a tiny fraction of their medical bills. In reality, it covered more than a tiny fraction—80 percent of sixty-five days a year in the hospital—but still, less than the public thought. It did not cover physician fees at all. |
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