This morning I read in the weekend Wall Street Journal that the FDA has pulled Avastin from the market for the treatment of Breast Cancer. Of course we all know the conundrum of prescribing off label, but another reference article also quotes and notes:
“Medicare will continue to cover Avastin,’’ said Brian Cook, spokesman for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The agency “will monitor the issue and evaluate coverage options as a result of action by the FDA but has no immediate plans to change coverage policies.’’ Including infusion fees, a year’s treatment with Avastin can reach $100,000.
The middle east is not the only place where it's time for an uprising that has been long coming. The government of the United States of America is so corrupt and convoluted it is time for a change. The occupy movement probably has it right. When payoffs and lobbying result in a medicare system with problems like those mentioned above even as we are teetering on the brink of insolvency the government is NOT WORKING!
Having recently read The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell and reading about the Broken Windows Theory I believe this is translating into our monetary and philosophical ethos in the United States. We are BROKE And are spending BILLIONS we don't have on WAR, unaffordable drugs and treatments, and lining our legislators pockets.
Why should anyone pay their mortgage? Why should anyone work and be a productive part of society? Why should anyone live within their means and try to get along with people who disagree with them? Despot's in the middle east, along with our politicians do NONE OF THESE THINGS! I'm starting to feel the occupy movement represents the people saying "We can clearly see everything is broken!"
It's time for a flat tax. No loopholes, and no budget for an IRS we don't need! No more insider trading on the part of our congress men and women. No more entitlements. Everyone get's the same medical care INCLUDING our government representatives. Sorry but the retirement age has to rise! Sorry medicine is NOT free and we can't give everything to everyone!
Where do we start? How do we start? The time is clearly now!
Why should anyone pay their mortgage? Why should anyone work and be a productive part of society? Why should anyone live within their means and try to get along with people who disagree with them? Despot's in the middle east, along with our politicians do NONE OF THESE THINGS! I'm starting to feel the occupy movement represents the people saying "We can clearly see everything is broken!"
It's time for a flat tax. No loopholes, and no budget for an IRS we don't need! No more insider trading on the part of our congress men and women. No more entitlements. Everyone get's the same medical care INCLUDING our government representatives. Sorry but the retirement age has to rise! Sorry medicine is NOT free and we can't give everything to everyone!
Where do we start? How do we start? The time is clearly now!
4 comments:
Dude, no offense intended, but you're one of the last people I'd imagine would be swept up at this point into revolution. And I'm frakking stoked about it! This is actually more of an intriguing sign to me than most of the others currently emerging. Amongst other reasons this is because you're a genius, somewhat conservative & capitalistic, and not always interested in civil politics... but here we are, so again: stoked.
Have you watched ZeitGeist? Have you read Gore Vidal?
To me (& many others & I did not come up with this but have agreed with this wholeheartedly since 2003): the only long term solution is abolishing the Federal Reserve Bank and reconstituting the laws put into place to protect us from this enslaving system. Those laws were written by the founding fathers (first) AND reconstituted by Andrew Jackson (second) - it is time for a third financial revolution: the first being the founding of this country against the Central Bank of England, the second being Jackson's, and the third being now.
My biggest fear is that the current discontent with the financial system stays confused and undirected, and we miss this opportunity to perform our cyclic duty of beating back the Central/National/Federal Bank!!!
I'm not sure I agree with all of the ravings, but I like where you were going. So, WHO are you going to vote for and what will you demand from them?
You are sounding an awful lot like a T-parTer.
Julie
Jeremy:
I'm not certain it will be soon, but probably in our lifetime. Reading about $200,000 mobile apps with no features, and giving people a right to medical treatments with no proven efficacy, or outrageous cost/benefit ratios is just unbelievable.
I will investigate Zeitgeist and Gore Vidal sounds familiar.
I'm not emphasizing the current problems with banks, though it's clear the disparity in growth of financial and rich people's wealth relative to average and even fairly elite folk is suspicious. Clearly there is some gaming the system. It's much to my chagrin also that labor unions are able to give money to the politicians that regulate them, and there are a LOT of examples of government graft. It's disgusting.
Perhaps revolution is a strong word, but either the judicial branch starts doing some checks and balances on corrupt legislature/executive branches, there is a sea change paradigm shift in personal political discussion and activism (and yes getting along), or revolution cometh. Something has to happen. Disgusting is the only word I can come up with.
Julie:
Of course you put me to the test. The election is still a YEAR away so I will confess to not paying attention to the policiking this early.
I also harbor a bit of resentment at the lack of a moderate party, or frankly any party other than the two we seem to always have. 2 party rule seems 1 step away from China whom we call "communist" and while their censorship is crazy, we have a shady, grifting government too.
If you are talking about Presidential election I'm not sure yet. I voted for GW 2 times (Kerry and Gore were pathetic challengers) when I was a republican and thought that meant fiscal prudence. Of course this couldn't have been further from the truth, and while GW was known for reaching across the isle he fell prey to DC just like Obama has been forced to. I in no way agree with the war, but will note that the Obama administration is continuing and expanding warrantless surveillance techniques as well as Signing Statements which I have written about previously. I don't think ANY president would not have gone after Osama in Afghanistan, but that was pretty much the end of anything good from GW in my mind.
I then switched to a Democrat and voted for Obama in the primaries. And while I seriously considered McCain, also in the final election because I figured if we'd spend money I'd rather spend it on good things. I also liked his early admissions of drug use and how that made it a non issue. Also as you know with my head injury a few years ago now after coming back from Vietnam Healthcare was a big deal for me. I have actually been fairly pleased with Obama. He has drawn down troops, dealt with a major financial crisis that was clearly handed off as well as massive budget deficits.
I like the notion of a flat tax being thrown around, but as we know the LEGISLATURE deals with taxes (and the 80% of the federal budget the president can do LITTLE TO NOTHING ABOUT - Entitlements and Millitary to a lesser degree). I am reasonably pleased with Obama and can say that I am partial to Romney but that is a VERY uneducated comment as I mentioned that I have not followed the primaries as I am currently a Democrat and in California my vote doesn't matter in the primaries for president.
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