I tried.
I tried to not look for any articles that had to do with the government inexplicably beating down the private sector, costing our economy jobs and revenue.
I tried.
I failed.
Today I give you an article from the Washington Post’s ‘Health & Science’ section, which is primarily about WHY there are fewer antibiotics being developed today (hint: it’s Capitalism’s fault):
As doctors battled a deadly, drug-resistant superbug at the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical Center last year, they turned to an antibiotic of last resort.
But colistin, as it’s called, is not a fancy new creation of modern biotechnology. It was discovered in a beaker of fermenting bacteria in Japan — in 1949.
That doctors have resorted to such an old, dangerous drug — colistin causes kidney damage — highlights the lack of new antibiotics coming out of the pharmaceutical pipeline even in the face of a global epidemic of hospital-acquired bugs that quickly grow resistant to the toughest drugs.
It’s a case of evolution outrunning capitalism.
Exsqueeze me? Somehow this means that Capitalism failed? You mean, when given the proper incentives and environment for success, entrepreneurs decided to NOT try to find the next miracle drug? Why doesn’t that sound , ohhhh, what’s the word, …..true?
You only have to read a couple more paragraphs before they give you the answer:
“Experts point to three reasons pharmaceutical companies have pulled back from antibiotics despite two decades of screaming alarms from the public health community: There is not much money in it; inventing new antibiotics is technically challenging; and, in light of drug safety concerns, the FDA has made it difficult for companies to get new antibiotics approved.”
Gosh, how much harder, exactly, Washington Post?
Shlaes said that concerns about antibiotic safety — driven by deaths linked to the drug Ketek that came to light in 2006 — have made the FDA reluctant to approve new antibiotics. “They’ve basically made it impossible for companies to develop and market antibiotics in the U.S.,” he said.
Hey, here’s a question: if a government agency makes it “basically impossible” for me to develop and market something, how exactly is it a failure of Capitalism when I decide to NOT try to develop and market that something??!? Even for the Post, that’s a stretch. This is “1984” logic here:
“You are a slow learner, Winston,” said O’Brien gently.
“How can I help it?” he blubbered. “How can I help seeing what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four.”
“Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes, they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder.”
–“1984” by George Orwell
I’m used to the Washington Post “Orwell-izing” the truth; happens every day. No, what concerns me is the result of the FDA meddling in drug research which saves countless lives. This story yet again highlights our government’s innate ability to screw up (vs. help) any given industry it contacts. It’s as if the Government fancies itself as King Midas and, as in that fairy-tale, its “Golden Touch” is actually the Kiss Of Death.
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As a parting thought, ask yourself: will Obama/Biden or Romney/Ryan be more likely to increase the span, reach and overall negative effect of the government over the private sector in the next four years?
Take your time; it’s a tough one, I know…..
Two Heads are Better Than One 
The beatings must continue until capitalism learns to operate without the profit motive!
I actually almost used a version of that as the title, Hatfield!!
“Great minds”, etc.,.. etc.,..
😉
Hatfield is right on the money! The problem is the GREED that exists in capitalism. These drug companies should be asking investors for BILLIONS of dollars to invest in R&D with NO promise of a return on their investment. (Hey, if you have THAT much money, you should just go ahead and give it away just to show your heart is in the right place.) Heck, we’ll even break the law, if necessary, the same way we did to those greedy pigs at GM who thought that JUST because they were first position bond holders they actually HAD a right to recover their investment over the interests of the unions. This is needed just in case we can’t lure investors with the false promise of profit. Sarcastic rant….over.
There’s a sad reality in the pharmaceutical world: Drugs have side-effects, sometimes, deadly. There are no “magic pills”. And, doctors aren’t gods. If you’re sitting around waiting for medication that will have NO side effect, you’re going to be waiting a while…..a LONG while. But, please…don’t wait TOO long as some starving attorney is looking forward to your side effects or demise so that they can PUNISH those big, greedy drug companies with multi million or billion dollar lawsuits that they do out of the kindness of their hearts, or 45% of the settlement, whichever pays more.
You have no idea how many other articles I went through that are basically the same thing as this one: the government or a gov’t agency almost literally STANDING on the business, the business finally giving up, to which the government (or its lackeys in the press) say, “See? The Free Market has failed once again”.
It is inconceivable (and yes, that word DOES mean what I think it means) that this is mere coincidence.
It is deliberate, it is effective, and it will continue unless we make it stop.
The truth is the government has been slowly destroying the private part of health care and it will continue. They want that control, they want to be in control of the research and decide what is best for you. Obamacare is another stepping stone, along with FDA and many other fingers of the government to destroy private health care. Government is the enemy of all free people, in all segments of our lives.
I agree, partner. It is all about control.
Obamacare will be a HUGE part of that, which is reason #1 why it must be stopped.
Government isn’t by its nature evil; it merely allows man’s worst nature to take it that way, naturally. Government grows, always, unless it is chained down. And now, it is totally unencumbered by anything, and we’re getting the results one might expect.
Particularly, JTR, when those in positions of power have a DECIDEDLY different goal of what government SHOULD be in the lives of the people. Communism, Socialism, and Marxism have FAILED every time they’ve been tried, yet the current administration seems hell-bent on repeating those failed regimes. It’s grotesquely arrogant that they think they are so smart that THEY can make it work this time.
I keep recalling Reagan’s great speech on STOPPING socialized medicine. 50 years later, it’s still relevant.
Yes, PGH, they think the other socialist just did not do it right.
Remember, “We are the ones we have been waiting for” from Obama’s 2008 Chicago speech on super Tuesday?
UGH! I had gleefully FORGOT about that one. Now, WE are the ones WAITING for him/them…….to LEAVE.