Tuesday, May 20, 2003

 
Special Interests Defeat Dying Nations

Globally, 42 million people are infected by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, including 30 million in Africa. Since it was first detected only two decades ago, it has claimed 30 million lives.

With that said, the following is one of the most disgusting things (from a long list of bile-coaxing actions) to which the GOP has stooped in order to pander to their special interests.

Of the 144 members of the World Trade Organization, the Bush Administration is alone in opposing an agreement to give developing nations stricken by AIDS epidemics the right to ignore drug patents and import cheaper, generic medicines, an ability crucial in their fight against the spread of the disease.

This comes on the heels of an Administration campaign to supposedly fight AIDS in 14 African and Caribbean nations. Bush's rejection of the WTO proposal flies squarely in the face of the Administration's claimed intentions of that campaign. Indeed, such actions make it difficult to see the $15 billion-dollar Bush proposal as anything more than a payoff for the pharmaceutical industry.

Little doubt the Administration privately rationalizes that a $15 billion tax-payer funded "shut-up" fee would pave the way for global corporate exploitation. In many ways this is simply another transfer of wealth from average Joe and Jane taxpayer into the coffers of Corporate elite…especially since the $15 billion will be used primarily to buy drugs from the GOP's corporate donors at outrageously bloated prices.

This way, the Administration can say, "See, our compassionate conservatism is shining through with this glowing act of philanthropy," while simultaneously loading the pockets of their corporate cronies.

Of course the question remains, "How many people will die because of this vicious act of greed? Hundreds? Thousands? Millions?" Do you really think they care?

Did they care that the Iraq invasion-for-oil cost thousands of lives and tens of billions of dollars? Of course not. These are all means to an end, played out as feasibly as is politically possible.

No worries though. According to Mark Greyson, spokesman for PhRMA, an umbrella lobbying group for the pharmaceutical industry, the Administrations' actions are thoroughly justified:

"[The Bush administration] has justified its opposition to the proposal by calling it a license for unfair competition…It's not about the poor countries; if it were about the poor countries everything will be over."

An anonymous source continued to explain that "developing countries want to be able to produce generic drugs to treat not only AIDS but other infectious diseases, and PhRMA is ferociously opposed to this because it could close-off potentially lucrative markets."

Dear God! Have these poor nations' no scruples? How dare they look for cost-effective means to combat deadly diseases. If they think corporate profits are going to be sacrificed just to save a few million lives, they must be out of their minds. After all, what have they ever done for us? Sheesh!

In fact, with no oil or oil-related strategic significance, such countries are almost certain to be shunned by the privately owned and operated Administration.

In any event, what poor country could possibly compete with the deep pockets of the pharmaceutical industry anyway?

To illustrate, let's take a look at the actions of the pharmaceutical industry during just one of the months (August) prior to the 2000 election:

Donations to:
GOP ~ $800,000
Dems ~ $2,500
Ratio ~ GOP/Dem = 320:1

~ The president of Bristol-Myers Squibb co-chaired a fund-raising dinner for Senate Republicans. Other co-chairs included former Republican National Committee chairman Haley Barbour, now a lobbyist whose clients include Bristol-Myers and two other drug companies, Amgen and Glaxo Wellcome, and former Rep. Thomas Loeffler, R-Texas, also a lobbyist for Bristol-Myers.

~ At the time, The pharmaceutical industry was fighting a Democratic proposal to expand Medicare to cover the cost of prescription drugs, a grand no-no by PhRMA standards.

~ Bristol-Myers, Eli Lilly & Co. and Pharmacia & Upjohn - gave $200,000 apiece in unregulated "soft money" donations to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

~ Bristol-Myers also gave $107,200 and Schering Corp. contributed $100,000 to the Republican National Committee.

~ Overall, Industry contributions for the election cycle favored Republicans over Democrats by a ratio of 2:1.

As a reference, here are the politicians who got the most direct contributions from pharmaceutical companies in 2000:

1. Bush, George W (R) President $477,633.00
2. Hatch, Orrin G (R-UT) Senate $399,874.00
3. Franks, Bob (R-NJ) Senate $272,066.00
4. Lazio, Rick A (R-NY) Senate $258,288.00
5. Bradley, Bill (D) Pres $159,630.00
6. Thomas, Bill (R-CA) House $155,833.00
7. Abraham, Spencer (R-MI) Senate $128,200.00
8. Frist, Bill (R-TN) Senate $116,457.00
9. Gore, Al (D) Pres $109,100.00
10. Lieberman, Joseph I (D-CT) Senate $106,650.00
11. Giuliani, Rudolph W (R-NY) Senate $97,889.00
12. Roth, William V Jr (R-DE) Senate $96,400.00
13. Ferguson, Mike (R-NJ) House $93,850.00
14. DeWine, Mike (R-OH) Senate $90,750.00
15. Torricelli, Robert G (D-NJ) Senate $82,300.00
16. Allen, George (R-VA) Senate $79,100.00
17. Ensign, John (R-NV) Senate $78,500.00
18. Ashcroft, John (R-MO) Senate $76,600.00
19. Jeffords, James M (R-VT) Senate $76,572.00
20. Kennedy, Edward M (D-MA) Senate $75,800.00

Note: Huge 'Soft' money contributions are not included in these figures.

Republican Total: $2,498,012
Democrat Total: $533,480
GOP : DEM = 4.7:1

Little wonder that the GOP would protect these vital interests from the gross inequity associated with helping millions of dying people.

Join our mailing list!

posted by Thomas Ball 12:18 PM