Thursday, July 31, 2003

Guns vs. Butter, or Children vs. Seniors. So we're gonna hand $400 freakin' BILLION dollars of cash to drug companies, as a freebie to seniors.  Is this really and truly the best way that we could be spending our health dollars?  Is this the single most effective place, in terms of return on investment?  Let's rephrase the question: Exactly how far would $400 freakin' BILLION go when it comes to insuring the uninsured children of this country?  As hard as I might, I just can't seem to find a scenario under which I'm more sympathetic to a senior citizen, living in his own home, driving his cadillac to the doctor four times a week because of aching back, than I am sympathetic to the child of a poor single mom somewhere in an inner city...where a tiny fraction of that drug money can save a life or provide the regular medical care that is so important in a young life. Where does the AARP get off, exactly?  Let's call this what it is: A gigantic giveaway to the drug companies.  We're just going to take out a huge debt and hand the slip to them.  We'll say to them, "Come up with the most expensive drugs you possibly can!  Do it now!".  You can BET on the fact that drugs are going to get more expensive.  Why?  Because as these drugs are directly marketed to senior citizens through the airwaves, they'll be going to their doctors and demanding these medications, which will now be covered under these stupid programs; drugs companies know this, and will raise prices, knowing they're gonna get paid.  And as the population continues to age, this voting block gets stronger and stronger, wants more and more under these programs, and will finally succeed in burying a younger generation under the weight of their parents' greed. For the record, I'm a 35 year old guy.  I don't have kids (yet).  I have nieces, and I think what the controlling generation is doing to them is disgusting.  Where do people think all of this kind of debt ends up going?  Look all over the world friends -- look at how well the average banana republic out there is doing.  Look at what has happened in history when debts spiral out of control.  Collapse, devastation, you name it.  Unlike an economic recession, the debt loads never just "disappear"...they cause a severe systemic collapse.  I'm worried about that.  And I'm worried that the fat cat generation will continue to use their demographics to vote themselves another bottle of the world's most expensive pills, to be enjoyed in the healing waters of a hot tub, in their fully paid-for home, while struggling single mothers pay absurd payroll tax rates into a system that is handing their futures to the past. 3:03:08 PM    comment []