On Honest Politicians

[ULTRAMAN VH]

On Honest Politicians
Monday, April 02, 2007
Ron Smith






The Sage of Baltimore, H. L. Mencken, said, “An honest politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar.” I couldn’t get that thought out of my mind last evening while watching the lead segment on CBS’s 60 Minutes, which detailed the legislative machinations that insured we in the United States get to pay the highest prices for prescription drugs in the entire world.



Bribery? Intimidation? Runaway corruption? It’s all there, my friends, as you can easily deduce by reading this account of the program in question.



Some highlights include the fact that the Medicare prescription drug bill, over a thousand pages long, was written by lobbyists for the pharmaceutical industry, got to members of the House one morning and was voted on in the dead of the night so as to escape as much media scrutiny as possible.



To say the roll call vote was unusual is way too much of an understatement. It lasted nearly three hours, the first two hours and forty-five minutes during which there were enough votes to defeat the bill. The time was needed to twist the arms of enough representatives to get the dark deed done.



We see North Carolina Republican Congressman Water Jones say, “I’ve been in politics 22 years, and it was the ugliest night I have ever seen in 22 years.”



The man controlling the process was former Congressman Billy Tauzin of Louisiana, who steered it through the house and was rewarded with a $2 million dollar a year job as president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. How’s that for a payoff?



After the deed was done, “In all, at least 15 congressional staffers, congressmen and federal officials left to go work for the pharmaceutical industry whose profits were increased by several billion dollars,” CBS reports.



Where’s the outrage? There really isn’t much, which says a lot about our situation these days. When you pay much high prices than what others pay for your prescription drugs (Lipitor, for example costs Medicare patients at least $785 for a year’s supply, while the VA’s price is $520 because the VA can negotiate prices for drugs while the bill we’re discussing prohibits such bargaining for Medicare) at least you’ll know Billy Tauzin and his helpers cashed in big time. Aren’t you happy for them?










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[Ellyllions]

Doesn't surprise me.

Nobody wanted to touch the Social Security reform and they all stood on "admirable" statements as their reasons. Even down to the flimsy (hoping the public don't remember passed GWB Administration) excuse that it was partisan based.

The government is all about money and perks. Every Senator in every seat is corrupt in one way or another. It's all fucked up. Not one person in Washington aspires to be anything other than famous and/or rich.

[knuckleboner]

Originally posted by Ellyllions
Not one person in Washington aspires to be anything other than famous and/or rich.

i won't argue on all, that's for sure. but there are a few good ones out there. just because the media doesn't like to focus on them, doesn't mean they don't exist...

[FORD]

Nearly every member of Chimpy's original cabinet had ties to the pharmaceutical industry. The BCE whores for them every bit as much as they do the oil industry.

[ULTRAMAN VH]

Originally posted by FORD
Nearly every member of Chimpy's original cabinet had ties to the pharmaceutical industry. The BCE whores for them every bit as much as they do the oil industry.

Not defending the current Administration, but I didn't notice any Spendocrats stepping up to stop the bill from being passed.

[ULTRAMAN VH]

Originally posted by knuckleboner
i won't argue on all, that's for sure. but there are a few good ones out there. just because the media doesn't like to focus on them, doesn't mean they don't exist...

Could you find us one please.

[BigBadBrian]

Originally posted by FORD
Nearly every member of Chimpy's original cabinet had ties to the pharmaceutical industry. The BCE whores for them every bit as much as they do the oil industry.

The parrot goes:

BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE Chimpy BCE

[knuckleboner]

Originally posted by ULTRAMAN VH
Could you find us one please.

just federal? or are we talking state and local, too?

because i've worked for some local ones. and seen some honest ones across the aisle on a day-to-day basis as well.


but you want a federal one? ok: john warner, U.S. senator from virginia. votes his conscience. not afraid to break ranks with his party, if it's what he believes in.


mind you, it's much harder to pay attention to politicians from other areas of the country, because the media doesn't really focus on them. but i've got a pretty good handle on ones from my area, and i can't believe they're the only good ones throughout the country.