Posts Tagged "economy"

Coca-Cola that is.  The Philadelphia Enquirer, a hot bed of flaming liberal opinions, reported today that Kelly Brownnell director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, (yes we need the food police to be our nanny), is promoting a tax on soft drinks similar to tobacco and alcohol tax.  Unfortunately the tax will fall heavily on the poor who are typically most harmed by the sugary drinks.  While obesity among children has increased; is this an altruistic solution or just another way for the government to steal from the public?  Governments are hurting for cash because they over promise and over spend.  Solution?  Tax more of your hard earned money.  I suspect this bill will pass congress while the sleeping public comfortably and dreamily snooze. ...

Given the vital role of medical products companies and the magnitude of their challenges, one might imagine that this industry would be admired. To some extent, it is. Leading research organizations such as the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s disease proactively build bridges with industry leaders, solicit advice from industry scientists, and fund projects in industry labs. But this enlightened view of industry is not widespread. This is largely because of the disproportionate influence of a coterie of prominent critics we have previously dubbed “pharmascolds,” who routinely vilify the medical products industry and portray academics working with it as traitors and sellouts. These critics are pious academics, self-righteous medical...

If you try to beat up on the drug companies, there will be no winners, only losers.  On 3/30 I found this article which pretty much sums it up.  As drug companies prosper, more dollars are used for research and development of new life saving medications.  If you’re using generic drugs, you may save some money in the short term but what future are you leaving for your children and grandchildren?  For more context see my 3/27 post.

If you are reading this, you’re probably taking some type of prescription medication or have done so at some time in your life.  We Americans love the products the big bad pharmaceutical companies make, but feel less favorable towards the companies themselves because we feel we’re being ripped off by high prices. You think price controls and government regulation is the answer? The truth is, drug companies have been a real engine of innovation. If we destroy their profitability through price controls and government rationing, the costs would be very real. The recent slow-down in the introduction of new blockbuster drugs is in part the delayed result of underinvestment in the 1990s — the last time the political class (read Bill and Hillary) ...

This video is the trailer for a great documentary on the US’s addiction to debt. There’s also a great 30 minute preview on youtube.