State of Maine challenging GOP-Pharmaceutical Monopoly

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

The bolded parts tell the story of who's on which "side". Let's not get sidetracked on whether this guy's red or that guy's blue; this is their puppetmasters versus their constituents -- not the red and blue puppets against each other.

I completely agree with you, but it was not I who shaped the discussion to be that way. I'm merely pointing out to the OP that he needs to focus on the who real problem is and put his bias aside.

 

[Pogo]

The bolded parts tell the story of who's on which "side". Let's not get sidetracked on whether this guy's red or that guy's blue; this is their puppetmasters versus their constituents -- not the red and blue puppets against each other.

I completely agree with you, but it was not I who shaped the discussion to be that way. I'm merely pointing out to the OP that he needs to focus on the who real problem is and put his bias aside.

Yeah I see that. But in all fairness it was about 2% of the post. There's still plenty of story meat to chew on.

I just always keep in mind that what the puppetmasters want most of all is for we the people to keep up the meaningless bickering over the puppets themselves. As long as we obediently do that, we're not watching the puppet strings. The longer we engage in "Republicans did this" and "Democrats did that", the longer they get away with that charade. They don't care whether the guy they paid for is red or blue; whichever one advances their cause, they'll run him until we get tired of him and switch to the other color under the concept of "change" -- which is nothing but a change of costume. Ultimately we live in a duopoly of a single party that splits into two different colored teams to accomplish the same thing for those they really work for.

 

[Political Junky]

The GOP gave into Big Pharma by not allowing any negotiation of drug prices in Medicare D.

 

[Londoner]

The GOP gave into Big Pharma by not allowing any negotiation of drug prices in Medicare D.

Exactly. Johnson and Johnson & Ely Lilly spent several million on the 2003 GOP congress to ensure that the Medicare D would lock the taxpayer into above market drug costs. This was a no-bid anti-competitive contract from a party that campaigns on free market competition.

My bias stems primarily from Citizens United, which was overwhelmingly supported by the Right as Free Speech. This ruling gave companies like Ely Lilly the ability to deliver unlimited funds to our politicians in secret, so the American voter can't see who is buying our government. I want to know who is buying my government, and for how much.

As for the amount of money corporations give to the left.

Corporations don't want to fund the party who promises to raise their taxes and impose more regulations on them - however, they are forced to do business with the Left when the opposition candidate has no chance of winning (and thus constitutes a bad investment). So in "Blue" seats or Democratic election cycles, the Left gets decent funding. However, in contested seats, big business will always support the candidate who is most likely to lower their taxes, deregulate their industries, and support Supreme Court rulings which allows them to buy politicians in secret. This should not be hard to understand. Corporations want business friendly politicians, not socialists who are going to over tax and over regulate them.

 

[Londoner]

I just always keep in mind that what the puppetmasters want most of all is for we the people to keep up the meaningless bickering over the puppets themselves. As long as we obediently do that, we're not watching the puppet strings. The longer we engage in "Republicans did this" and "Democrats did that", the longer they get away with that charade. They don't care whether the guy they paid for is red or blue; whichever one advances their cause, they'll run him until we get tired of him and switch to the other color under the concept of "change" -- which is nothing but a change of costume. Ultimately we live in a duopoly of a single party that splits into two different colored teams to accomplish the same thing for those they really work for.

Well said.

People think government is controlled by bureaucrats who steal from the rich and give to the poor. This is a myth propagated by the puppeteers. Government is staffed mostly by large corporations who fund our elections. Welcome to the final (post-competitive) phase of capitalism. This is when the market winners have the financial leverage to buy government and draft legislation that turns the state into a subsidy & bailout machine. This is when we see a rentier class form over most major sectors, including media, which is strategically used to distract us with the culture war. Indeed, as we worry about terrorists, baby killers, gay gym teachers and socialists hiding under the bed, the wealthy forces who own government are looting the treasury.