February 13, 2010
Wonder no more
You may be wondering why prescription drugs cost so much. Well, wonder no more. Read this from the Open Secrets website: "At nearly $266.8 million, the pharmaceutical and health products industry's federal lobbying expenditures not only outpaced all other business industries and special interest areas in 2009, but stand as the greatest amount ever spent on lobbying efforts for one year."
Think about it. They spent $266 million on federal lobbying, and that is before the Supreme Court's awful decision that corporations cannot be limited in their political contributions. One industry; $266 million that they admit they spent.
In all, federal lobbyists spent $3.47 billion. This from the Center for Responsive Politics, one of my all-time favorites.
Meanwhile, Billy Tauzin, the ethically-challenged founder of the Blue Dogs, has been forced out as chief graft-distributor for big PhRMA. (He quit Congress for a $2 million salary, screwed seniors on the way out the door, and recently went to secret meetings at the Obama White House to make a deal. Get this: The Washington Post reports his ouster as a blow to Obama. Yikes!
Imagine if the pharmaceuticals give $20 million to a candidate for the next Supreme Court election in Wisconsin. "So what?" would be the answer of three justices. It is up to that justice to determine if that huge contribution influenced him or her.
Be sure to watch Bill Moyers Journal next Friday. He will review his "Justice For Sale" program.
How far we have fallen!
post a letter about this blog »
After much serious thought, I have concluded the best way to beat this economy is to start one's own country.
As a fledgling country, if I can't get millions of dollars from what's left of the US government, I could easily survive on what a good lobbyist would be willing to spend.
Either way, I figure it's easier than standing in the unemployment line and quicker than waiting another two years for a job that will not pay me enough to recover from 2-4 years of unpaid bills.
Of course, I could always build a skyscraper and call myself a bank. Not only would I get a bailout from the government, I could also pay myself millions for being so smart.
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Stoughton, WI | February 13, 2010
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