@kewpie saidTerrible, terrible advice.
For all of you, blue or red, republican or democrat, white hat or black hat, one thing needs to be done. And that's VOTING.
It doesn't matter if "there's nobody here worth voting for", you need to forget about write-ins and protest votes or votes for independents. Face facts, either Trump or Biden must get in, and any other vote means you're wasting a possible vote for yo ...[text shortened]... .
Now use your heads, rather than your hearts. The best possible outcome is 100% voter response.
For a start you've made it an either/or when there's not actually a great deal of difference between them. You've bought into the propaganda, the illusion that there's fundamental differences when they're both part of the same machine, you're playing their game for them. There's a long history of one or the other 'getting in' and then the so called opposition sits on the sideline for a few terms and sooner or later they know they're going to get their turn. Both main parties know this, and it is the case for AUs, NZ, UK and many other places that are on the two party/uni-party treadmill.
People don't vote in, they vote out, they're not voting for the Labor party, they're voting National out (or vice versa)
And every election it's the same mantra "This ones important we have to stop the other guys at any cost, even if it means voting for 'X' party who are antithetical to your beliefs and principles, as long as that party has a chance of stopping 'Y' party.'
You're being fed this propaganda, you're gulping it down and, unaware like a robot you're regurgitating here like you've had an original thought (extremely unlikely).
The two main parties are in cahoots. They make some opposition type noises but that's all part of the act.
@wajoma saidOne diff, Trump has policies , ideas, plans, etc.
Terrible, terrible advice.
For a start you've made it an either/or when there's not actually a great deal of difference between them. You've bought into the propaganda, the illusion that there's fundamental differences when they're both part of the same machine, you're playing their game for them. There's a long history of one or the other 'getting in' and then the so call ...[text shortened]... main parties are in cahoots. They make some opposition type noises but that's all part of the act.
Biden doesn't, except his plan to beat Trump at any cost.
@averagejoe1 said...and Biden's plan to lower health care costs.
One diff, Trump has policies , ideas, plans, etc.
Biden doesn't, except his plan to beat Trump at any cost.
Now you MIGHT say, price caps are ridiculous and distort the 'free market' and that's BAAAAAAAAAAAD.
OK, BUT... there is a HUGE problem with drug prices in the US because of protectionism and lack of competition. Insulin was discovered in 1921! Yeah, we make it a different way now. Yeah, we use different injectors.
But I used to work in this industry, so I know what goes on. The BIGGEST two concerns about any new drug are 'is it toxic enough that we might get sued, and when does our patent protection end?' NOT does the drug work. NOT is the drug better than existing competitors. Surprisingly, the FDA virtually never considers whether or not a new drug is better than what is on the market. They only consider whether the drug is better than placebo/nothing. Unlike Europe which ALWAYS takes drug effectiveness into account when setting prices.
Europe's prices for drugs are about 1/3 of the US.
Anyway, are price caps great? Theoretically no. But neither is protectionism.
"WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden teamed up with Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday to promote his administration’s efforts to lower the cost of inhalers and other health care needs, as the White House continues its effort to highlight Biden’s legislative achievements to voters ahead of the November elections.
“Bernie, you and I have been fighting this for 25 years,” Biden said to Sanders during an event in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door to the White House. “Finally, finally we beat Big Pharma. Finally.”
Both men touted the lower health care costs that come through the Democrats’ sweeping climate, health care and tax package that Biden signed into law in 2022. It caps various health care costs for those on Medicare, including $35 a month for insulin and $2,000 a year for prescription drugs. No Republican lawmakers voted for the law."
His aides and Democratic officials say Biden’s achievements such as lowering health care costs are popular with the public, yet the incumbent president hasn’t yet gotten the credit from voters. Sanders has a loyal following that supports his calls to reign in medical costs in the U.S. and give the government more control over the health care industry.
The top drugmaker lobby called Biden’s comments Wednesday a “missed opportunity,” saying he failed to address how some other industries, like health insurance companies, are also driving up the cost of medications.
Both Biden and Sanders also promoted their recent efforts to pressure most major inhaler manufacturers to cap the costs of the devices to no more than $35 a month. Otherwise, the purchase price of inhalers ranges somewhere between $200 to $600 without insurance, according to the White House. Manufacturers have said the price changes will take effect later this year or at the beginning of next year.
https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-white-house-bernie-sanders-966deda16e0a5fc171e5591b3f094b4d
And here's another little tidbit... curing people? Forget it. That's a losing strategy.
What you want to do is alleviate symptoms while NOT curing the patient. That way you have a patient FOR LIFE! And preferably while creating some withdrawal syndrome that makes it hard to stop taking the drug.
'But Spruce' you say, 'This has never happened.'
Sad. So sad.
Omeprazole aka Prilosec is EXACTLY this drug. Once the best-selling prescription drug in the country for heartburn - now available OTC. Omeprazole shuts down stomach acid so well that it leads to cellular hyperplasia so that when you STOP taking it, the heartburn is worse than ever. (he he he!)
And when it went off patent, what happened? Launch a NEW DRUG! Nexium! Get it... 'Nex - ium' 'Next - ium' 'Next...' you get it. Put an 'X' in the name ... drugs with an 'X' or 'Z' are considered 'strong.' And make the color purple - not black, that's bad. But purple is 'powerful' like an emperor. They pay marketing people a lot for these things.
But what is Nexium? Well it is the S-enantiomer of Prilosec. Pharmacologically, in your body, it is the SAME STUFF! But it works... (vs placebo). So FDA is forced to approve it. And we never have to do a head-to-head study to show it's better than Priloc. And the patent re-starts! We can charge prescription prices for decades more! WOO HOO!
This is what Big Pharma spends most of its time doing, working out these sorts of tricks to enjoy bigger revenue.
@spruce112358
Truer words were never spoken. Today's so called health industry is all about reducing symptoms not bringing those symptoms to zero, let's string those idiots out as long as we can is their motto. And the ads are ridiculous. 'With my moderate to severe psoriasis' right, that person has moderate to severe. What a load of crap.
Another one, tell your doctor if you have XYZ symptoms, if have heart disease. Sure, like the doctor knows nothing about his or her patients. When did that kind of advertisement start anyway? It sure wasn't around when I was a kid, deep into century 20.
People are so easily programmed which is why I hate ads, when I see them on a tv show, I hit mute or fast forward.
I don't hate commercials because they are BS, I hate them because they WORK. Making billions for big Pharm. Like it costs what, 2 bucks to make X amount of insulin and they charge 400 bucks?
The magite crowd just ignores getting the price of insulin down to 35 bucks which is still a huge profit margin but I guess the magite crowd can't stand ANYTHING coming out of the Biden WH. Infrastructure bill voted no by EVERY repub but when it passed, wow those same repubs are saying we LOVE this bill, look at how much money WE brought in for our bridges and potholes and such.
Fukking hypocrites.
Same with the Chips bill, Intel is pushing over 100 billion into new semiconductor houses meaning thousands of new jobs but does the ultrarightwingnuts care about that? NO, it was put out by those cursed democrats, can't have that.
And the border bill, Trump orders Mikey, the squeaker of the house to kill the bill and of course Mikey being a nice tame puppet falls over and plays dead, no deal, not even debate allowed much less vote, BECAUSE Trump says he does not want Biden to get ANY credit for dealing with the bill so here we have less than average Joe1 still bitching about MILLIONS of illegals climbing under walls, swimming across rivers, ALL drug runners, human trafficers, prostitutes, folks with HIV, not a real person in the crowd, so it is just fine for border guards to rip babes from the arms of moms and put those children in cages.
Real humanitarian, Trump.
@wajoma saidAs I said before, this is the biggest lie ever told about the parties.
Terrible, terrible advice.
For a start you've made it an either/or when there's not actually a great deal of difference between them. You've bought into the propaganda, the illusion that there's fundamental differences when they're both part of the same machine, you're playing their game for them. There's a long history of one or the other 'getting in' and then the so call ...[text shortened]... main parties are in cahoots. They make some opposition type noises but that's all part of the act.
The difference is obvious to anyone.
@averagejoe1 saidRational people have a different take.
One diff, Trump has policies , ideas, plans, etc.
Biden doesn't, except his plan to beat Trump at any cost.
@cliff-mashburn saidYou misspelled Trump.
This country can't survive another 4 years of Biden. If China flexes any muscle at all Biden will just let it happen and if the US ever did get attacked, he'd just surrender.
@wajoma saidOver the past 40 years, every single time a Republican wins the presidency, the deficit spending exploded. Every single time a Democrat was elected, they reduced the deficit.
Terrible, terrible advice.
For a start you've made it an either/or when there's not actually a great deal of difference between them. You've bought into the propaganda, the illusion that there's fundamental differences when they're both part of the same machine, you're playing their game for them. There's a long history of one or the other 'getting in' and then the so call ...[text shortened]... main parties are in cahoots. They make some opposition type noises but that's all part of the act.
Heaping that debt in future generations is a dark stain on American politics, almost exclusively caused by Republicans.
Noises, propaganda blah blah. No one should care. Look at the spending. Real dollars.
They are not the same. Only one party wants to buy all the fancy stuff without paying for it.
@wildgrass saidLet's say they 'reduced the deficit'. What about all the other stuff he has 'done'? Jesus. His actions cause innocent deaths, for starters. The border has ruined lives. our lives. He allows unknown people to run our country. He reduces the deficit and takes a lot of naps. He is corrupt. The list goes on. I think I have already posted his stuff.
Over the past 40 years, every single time a Republican wins the presidency, the deficit spending exploded. Every single time a Democrat was elected, they reduced the deficit.
Heaping that debt in future generations is a dark stain on American politics, almost exclusively caused by Republicans.
Noises, propaganda blah blah. No one should care. Look at the spending. Rea ...[text shortened]... rs.
They are not the same. Only one party wants to buy all the fancy stuff without paying for it.
And for the record, even if he has reduced the deficit, his other shyte has upset it all into hell.