Read Fareed Zakaria's obsequious opinion piece in the Washington Post where he lays it on thick for Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. I commented "Marked as safe from retribution" and the moderators deleted it.
It was him saying, "Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will be in charge of DOGE, are both brilliant," that struck me as smarmy. They're men with no honor.
Pharma does so well on cable advertising because the only people watching are older adults. I’d be surprised if the corrupt GOP lets RFK, Jr cut off their cash flow. The GOP has demonstrated time & time again that their fealties are to their own wealth & power.
The fact that always brings me around to the scale of Big Pharma is One Thousand lobbyists for our 100 Senators. Imagine how awash Washington, D.C. is in money.
I have been furious about TV ads for prescription drugs forever. The last figures I saw indicated that drug companies spend more on advertising than on R&D. Why do they need to reach out directly to patients when they require a doctor’s prescription? Like physicians aren’t aware of these drugs and must be educated?! Can you even imagine the following exchange?
Patient: “Hey Dr. ___, I saw on TV that ____ might be great for my ____. Would you please write me a prescription?”
Doctor: “Oh, I’ve never heard of that drug, but sure.”
At one time, a few years ago so not sure if still accurate, but the US was the only country that allowed direct marketing of prescription drugs to consumers/patients. It's a horrible and completely unnecessary thing. Also, likely why prescriptions are so ridiculously expensive here when compared with other countries, marketing costs are included.
If MSNBC and The Washington Post are bending the knee to Trump in order to gain access to him, then I hope they will soon realize that they are, correspondingly, losing access to someone even more important--their audience. It is frightening to consider a world without mainstream media--where the only news/opinions comes in 34 flavors; you choose the flavor you like best and disregard the rest. I love reading my Substack authors, however I also need to hear what a source like the WaPo has to say because they can print many points of view and offer stories from a wide range of journalists. But they absolutely must not be promoting a Fascist wanna be dictator whose intent is to punish anyone who disagrees with him.
Sometimes people talk about Cory Booker as the next best thing.
New Jersey is home to the nation’s largest drug companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Bristol Meyers Squibb, to name a few. Any Federal legislation that has ever been opposed by Big Pharma, including efforts to lower drug prices, has been opposed by Booker.
As someone from New Jersey, Big Pharma rules and Booker is one of their servants. In all things, just greed.
Full disclosure here. I retired from a NJ big Pharma company 3 years ago, after 20 years. I was in facilities over 12 sites in the Midwest and South, with broad product distribution from Medical Device, to drug manufacturing. Primarily on the office sqft, non manufacturing side of things.
First, they do offer products that are life changing, life saving. I think it is important that we remember that. They provide opportunities, pay and benefits that support employees that many times cannot be found at other companies, especially those living outside of big communities with a variety of offerings.
However, I am a firm believer that they can and should lower drug prices. I understand the cost of research and the time it can take to develop a product. I also understand that profit and keeping investors happy is a huge motivation. I am not against making profits. Who would be? But I am against profits over humanity.
The commercials are ridiculous. Do keep in mind that the long listing of side effects that are the most annoying are mandated by the FDA. Should they be stopped from advertising, yes.
Corporate America has in many ways taken over this country and especially DC. Pharma, Tech, Food, Big Oil, etc. It has been allowed and the blame falls on our politicians. All of them. The lobbyist cartel should be reigned in. I have no idea how you do that now.
There is good and bad with Big Pharma, like anything else. The longer I am away from it all, the better. I find that I am more angry by actions taken by the company I worked for now. When you are in the midst of the stress, deadlines, etc. it can be difficult to focus on actions taken. You know that something is off, but you compartmentalize it.
This is a long way of saying, rein them in. Stop the money flow and hold our Reps and Senators accountable.
Good reminder, thanks. One of my cats was recently diagnosed with diabetes. A new drug called Bexacat, made by Elanco, treats diabetes. It is an alternative to two shots a day of insulin. It is one pill a day. After four doses, his blood sugar dropped from 417 to 121. He is doing well on it and I am grateful for an effective alternative to insulin shots.
Wonderful,John! I spent a great deal of time with a Medical Device branch. Those employees that received new hips and knees, were miracles. So many went from great pain and lack of movement to being transformed and their life changes were amazing.
Totally agree. He literally has no Voter Outreach. I have had a few issues that required a Senator be notified. Both having to do with the USPS. Filled out the form etc. I’m a lawyer. And live in the same County that Cory allegedly does No response whatsoever.
I have met Cory a few times. When the action group that belong to (which sent out at least 35,000 pieces of mail for GOTV), he was nowhere to be found.
No one in NJ has seen him (it seems) for years. I call his office, fax his office and email more than a few times a year. Ask Steve. NJ elected officials have very comfortable sinecure
OK Steve, you opened a pandora's box with this one. Like you, I long ago moved RFK Jr. to the folder in my head labeled 'Irish Family Embarrassments.' However. However. However. I'm more than just kinda interested to see how effective he is to rid the airwaves of big pharma products. Same with big sugar. I think I support this. And if he's just nutty enough to pull it off, well then, perhaps there is more to this Administration than just robbing and rubbing. Robbing the country and rubbing me the wrong way.
Tried to watch Erin’s show on CNN today. Led with the Tulsi story. And showed Tulsi’s lying video response. No comment from Erin. She should have immediately called out Tulsi’s two huge lies. And observed “this liar is nominated for a high intelligence position. And she just lied through her teeth to us. Obviously disqualified for any position of trust.” But no. Same old slip and slide. Bye bye CNN.
As a child of 2 survivors, the trauma is inter-generational. The collaborators that Steve accuse are going to be judged by history. Sadly, our incoming govt will distort the history. If we can keep our country afloat, what is happening now and who is doing it, will be revealed. It took decades for the actions of the German industrialists to come to light. We are still learning about what we can “Never Forget “.
How on earth can we expect the American people to keep abreast of the news when their email messages from corporations are coming in as a flood and which are almost all unsolicited ? Corporations should have no right to invade our privacy and choke our computers' memories with their junk. In a sane world they would have to get our permission first and if they abuse our directives to quit it we should mandate the proper authorities to fine these corporations a penalty of not less than $50 for each occurrence and that penalty must be immediately paid to us. Only then can we look confidently forward to opening our email with honest curiosity.
Krystal and Kyle do excellent podcasts. Steve's argument meshes perfectly with their critiques of the media. I'm glad to see Steve link up with them. Hope to see more like this. Stay safe everyone.
Excellent interview with Kyle and Krystal. I always enjoyed her when she was on MSNBC. While I haven't watched it much since the Election I will be very sad to see it go. Yes I agree with you all. We are in for some very dark times. Keep the faith friends.
MSNBC is really the only major media outlet for we liberals, while MAGAts have Fox, Newsmax, OAN, talk radio, X, etc. If MSNBC goes under, I feel we are doomed.
I wish I could help, Ron. It is being widely reported that Trump is encouraging Musk to buy MSNBC. If that happens, any tiny morsel of integrity is gone, baby, gone.
So interesting that conservatives used to rail against the “nanny state“ banning Big Gulps, trans fats, etc. Now they’re just fine with RFK Jr.’s program.
Read Fareed Zakaria's obsequious opinion piece in the Washington Post where he lays it on thick for Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. I commented "Marked as safe from retribution" and the moderators deleted it.
The Washington Post is an absolute shitbag publication.
I just listened to it. Garbage.
Do I dare read it? Is he obsequious to them and their future plans?
I guess I'll have to click on it.
I read it. It's carefully written because he is afraid.
(I canceled my subscription to WAPO.)
The writing and thinking is much better on The Warning. (It's worth a subscription)
It was him saying, "Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will be in charge of DOGE, are both brilliant," that struck me as smarmy. They're men with no honor.
Pharma does so well on cable advertising because the only people watching are older adults. I’d be surprised if the corrupt GOP lets RFK, Jr cut off their cash flow. The GOP has demonstrated time & time again that their fealties are to their own wealth & power.
I recently read that the average age of MSNBC viewers is 71 (my age, btw)!
The fact that always brings me around to the scale of Big Pharma is One Thousand lobbyists for our 100 Senators. Imagine how awash Washington, D.C. is in money.
I have been furious about TV ads for prescription drugs forever. The last figures I saw indicated that drug companies spend more on advertising than on R&D. Why do they need to reach out directly to patients when they require a doctor’s prescription? Like physicians aren’t aware of these drugs and must be educated?! Can you even imagine the following exchange?
Patient: “Hey Dr. ___, I saw on TV that ____ might be great for my ____. Would you please write me a prescription?”
Doctor: “Oh, I’ve never heard of that drug, but sure.”
At one time, a few years ago so not sure if still accurate, but the US was the only country that allowed direct marketing of prescription drugs to consumers/patients. It's a horrible and completely unnecessary thing. Also, likely why prescriptions are so ridiculously expensive here when compared with other countries, marketing costs are included.
I refuse to call Bobby Kennedy Jr just "Bobby Kennedy" because his father must be turning in his grave. This anti-vaxxer nut job is not Bobby Kennedy
You’re right. I’ll edit that.
Steve
If MSNBC and The Washington Post are bending the knee to Trump in order to gain access to him, then I hope they will soon realize that they are, correspondingly, losing access to someone even more important--their audience. It is frightening to consider a world without mainstream media--where the only news/opinions comes in 34 flavors; you choose the flavor you like best and disregard the rest. I love reading my Substack authors, however I also need to hear what a source like the WaPo has to say because they can print many points of view and offer stories from a wide range of journalists. But they absolutely must not be promoting a Fascist wanna be dictator whose intent is to punish anyone who disagrees with him.
I agree with your sentiments about WaPo (or NYT). I have kept my subscriptions primarily for the opinion writers, though.
Sometimes people talk about Cory Booker as the next best thing.
New Jersey is home to the nation’s largest drug companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Bristol Meyers Squibb, to name a few. Any Federal legislation that has ever been opposed by Big Pharma, including efforts to lower drug prices, has been opposed by Booker.
As someone from New Jersey, Big Pharma rules and Booker is one of their servants. In all things, just greed.
Full disclosure here. I retired from a NJ big Pharma company 3 years ago, after 20 years. I was in facilities over 12 sites in the Midwest and South, with broad product distribution from Medical Device, to drug manufacturing. Primarily on the office sqft, non manufacturing side of things.
First, they do offer products that are life changing, life saving. I think it is important that we remember that. They provide opportunities, pay and benefits that support employees that many times cannot be found at other companies, especially those living outside of big communities with a variety of offerings.
However, I am a firm believer that they can and should lower drug prices. I understand the cost of research and the time it can take to develop a product. I also understand that profit and keeping investors happy is a huge motivation. I am not against making profits. Who would be? But I am against profits over humanity.
The commercials are ridiculous. Do keep in mind that the long listing of side effects that are the most annoying are mandated by the FDA. Should they be stopped from advertising, yes.
Corporate America has in many ways taken over this country and especially DC. Pharma, Tech, Food, Big Oil, etc. It has been allowed and the blame falls on our politicians. All of them. The lobbyist cartel should be reigned in. I have no idea how you do that now.
There is good and bad with Big Pharma, like anything else. The longer I am away from it all, the better. I find that I am more angry by actions taken by the company I worked for now. When you are in the midst of the stress, deadlines, etc. it can be difficult to focus on actions taken. You know that something is off, but you compartmentalize it.
This is a long way of saying, rein them in. Stop the money flow and hold our Reps and Senators accountable.
Good reminder, thanks. One of my cats was recently diagnosed with diabetes. A new drug called Bexacat, made by Elanco, treats diabetes. It is an alternative to two shots a day of insulin. It is one pill a day. After four doses, his blood sugar dropped from 417 to 121. He is doing well on it and I am grateful for an effective alternative to insulin shots.
Wonderful,John! I spent a great deal of time with a Medical Device branch. Those employees that received new hips and knees, were miracles. So many went from great pain and lack of movement to being transformed and their life changes were amazing.
Totally agree. He literally has no Voter Outreach. I have had a few issues that required a Senator be notified. Both having to do with the USPS. Filled out the form etc. I’m a lawyer. And live in the same County that Cory allegedly does No response whatsoever.
I have met Cory a few times. When the action group that belong to (which sent out at least 35,000 pieces of mail for GOTV), he was nowhere to be found.
No one in NJ has seen him (it seems) for years. I call his office, fax his office and email more than a few times a year. Ask Steve. NJ elected officials have very comfortable sinecure
OK Steve, you opened a pandora's box with this one. Like you, I long ago moved RFK Jr. to the folder in my head labeled 'Irish Family Embarrassments.' However. However. However. I'm more than just kinda interested to see how effective he is to rid the airwaves of big pharma products. Same with big sugar. I think I support this. And if he's just nutty enough to pull it off, well then, perhaps there is more to this Administration than just robbing and rubbing. Robbing the country and rubbing me the wrong way.
Tried to watch Erin’s show on CNN today. Led with the Tulsi story. And showed Tulsi’s lying video response. No comment from Erin. She should have immediately called out Tulsi’s two huge lies. And observed “this liar is nominated for a high intelligence position. And she just lied through her teeth to us. Obviously disqualified for any position of trust.” But no. Same old slip and slide. Bye bye CNN.
CNN needs to hire some real journalists — not just people who look good on camera.
Krupp, Siemens, IG Farben, IBM , Alliance, Audi. Baccarat, BASF, Bayer. The lust of Nazi collaborators. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_involved_in_the_Holocaust
As a child of 2 survivors, the trauma is inter-generational. The collaborators that Steve accuse are going to be judged by history. Sadly, our incoming govt will distort the history. If we can keep our country afloat, what is happening now and who is doing it, will be revealed. It took decades for the actions of the German industrialists to come to light. We are still learning about what we can “Never Forget “.
How on earth can we expect the American people to keep abreast of the news when their email messages from corporations are coming in as a flood and which are almost all unsolicited ? Corporations should have no right to invade our privacy and choke our computers' memories with their junk. In a sane world they would have to get our permission first and if they abuse our directives to quit it we should mandate the proper authorities to fine these corporations a penalty of not less than $50 for each occurrence and that penalty must be immediately paid to us. Only then can we look confidently forward to opening our email with honest curiosity.
Love it. Here's my take on The Grifting https://open.substack.com/pub/theatkinfiles/p/newsflash-elon-taps-trump-for-two?r=nmf4r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Funny! Akin to “The Borowitz Report!”
Thanks!!!! Please share and subscribe.... I love Andy
Krystal and Kyle do excellent podcasts. Steve's argument meshes perfectly with their critiques of the media. I'm glad to see Steve link up with them. Hope to see more like this. Stay safe everyone.
Excellent interview with Kyle and Krystal. I always enjoyed her when she was on MSNBC. While I haven't watched it much since the Election I will be very sad to see it go. Yes I agree with you all. We are in for some very dark times. Keep the faith friends.
MSNBC is really the only major media outlet for we liberals, while MAGAts have Fox, Newsmax, OAN, talk radio, X, etc. If MSNBC goes under, I feel we are doomed.
Someone please raise my spirits.
I wish I could help, Ron. It is being widely reported that Trump is encouraging Musk to buy MSNBC. If that happens, any tiny morsel of integrity is gone, baby, gone.
So interesting that conservatives used to rail against the “nanny state“ banning Big Gulps, trans fats, etc. Now they’re just fine with RFK Jr.’s program.