Big Pharma Buys Democrats to Kill Reimportation Legislation
According to Washington Post Staff Writer Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, drug firms are now wooing Democrats to help defeat their drug reimportation bills:
"In the year since they took over on Capitol Hill, Democratic leaders have been unable to pass either a bill allowing reimportation of drugs from Canada or a measure requiring negotiation of drug prices under Medicare. Neither is likely to reach the president's desk this year. Lawmakers on both sides of these issues say the primary reason is the influence, now redirected, of the drug lobby."
One of the tricks Big Pharma uses is called "clogging the system" - they hire Democratic lobbyists from all the major firms to prevent opponents from using those consultancies.
Other tactics include:
- investing millions of dollars into Democratic goals
- increasing lobbying by 25% to $22 million last year
- forming alliances with every patient group it can find
Source Article:
Drug Firms Woo Democrats, Helping Defeat Their Bills
Editor's Note:
Politicians that get into bed with big pharma are:
- betraying the trust of the people they serve
- killing free competition
- poisoning the political process
If the drug industry is allowed to put politicians on both sides of the political spectrum into their pockets, our democratic system of government will be sicker than the millions without access to affordable drugs.
The health of our people and government is under attack but the TV news networks continue to debate: "Does Eliot Spitzer swallow?"
It is sad that they spend more time talking about politicans who sleep with a whore than they do about politicians who act like one.
