Tag: CA

You’ll Love This- WH Sides With Big Pharma vs. Clinics on Prices

There are over 15,000 clinics and hospitals in this country, which get their drugs for poorer patients from a government discount – drug act which was created in 1992.   They spend over $6 billion, and they are supposed to get a discount of 30% to 50% off.

During the past 8 years, (that’s mostly during the Bush administration 2002 – , with some overlap into the 3rd Term of Bipartisanbamaship ) the inspector general for HHS noticed drug manufacturers were overcharging their customers, but not getting dinged for it and being motivated to be good contractors.


Ted Slafsky, executive director of Safety Net Hospitals for Pharmaceutical Access — which represents 600 hospitals in the program — said that “manufacturers have been able to overcharge covered entities with impunity.”

http://www.californiahealthlin…

Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz County in California sued Astra Zeneca USA.   This upset Big Pharma.

In Dec 2009, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals of San Francisco ruled that clinics and hospitals could sue.

The Supreme Court is asked to rule next.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Eric Holder, Attorney General, under the Presidency of Barack Obama, is now siding with the Pharmaceutical companies to overturn that decision, and telling the Supreme Court they don’t want counties and clinics suing over drug price rip offs.   Per the DOJ, only the Federal Government (not meaning Congress, I guess, but the secret deal maker- in – chief) had the authority to enforce the law.

Blatant Promotion: JUST SAY NOW … Updated

You can help California legalize pot (Proposition 19 on the November ballot) and get a groovy T-shirt or other cool stuff in the process.  I told you this was blatant.

California’s “Just Say Now” campaign:

We just launched the new Just Say Now online store – and Facebook already banned it.

One of the best ways to show your support for legalizing marijuana is with our Just Say Now gear. All proceeds from our store go to support our efforts to pass marijuana initiatives in 2010.

You’ll spread the word about our campaign, and support our organizing at the same time. It’s a win-win for legalizing marijuana – even if Facebook won’t let us show you our store.

Pick up your gear now at the Just Say Now store – and stick it to Facebook’s censorship.

…snip…

[To see] what we have in our brand new store, go to firedoglake.

Hey!  This is cool!

Update 9/23/10: Latest poll results on Cal Prop 19 to legalize marijuana:

California is ready to control and tax cannabis rather than prohibit it.

Public Policy Polling (PPP) has Prop 19 up 9 points, 47-38. Survey USA has us up 5 points, 47-42.

Of particular note, voters under the age of 45 are expected to turn out in higher numbers in California than other states. This is likely because of the excitement throughout the state over Prop 19. According to PPP, among these younger voters, we’re up 20 points, 54-34.

Way Cool!

 

Feinstein Feeding Right Wing Myth of Unemployed Enjoying No Jobs After Senate Vote

The Democratic Party holds the majority in the Senate, but increasing forgets why it exists, as it continues to enact the disaster capitalism scenario of a major party which screws over it constituents.

Today (Wed) the Senate voted against extending expired unemployment benefits, with 11 useless Democrats voting with the Republicans to increase human misery.   Oh, and Plantation Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, who just squeaked by in a Democratic primary because of her No Public Option health care stance ?   She couldn’t be bothered to vote at all.  http://www.senate.gov/legislat…      Senate Vote #190 motion to agree with House amend. to Senate amend.  American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010

At least people like Senator “He’s with us on everything but the war” Lieberman don’t pretend anymore.  He was a NO.  So were:

Nelson NB           cornhusker strikes again

Webb VA            

McCaskill MO

Bayh IN               lame duck still can poop on your lawn

Begich AL

Feingold WI    

Kohl  WI

Landrieu  LA    isn’t she incredible

Menendez  NJ

Nelson FL      the other Nelson. on the Gulf.

Pryor AR

“We think those few extra words are worth the effort.”

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I’m on the levees.org email list and I got a message from them today:

Thanks to you, Levees.org was featured in the New York Times!

The article focused on our success in encouraging national media to report accurately on the man-made causes of the metro New Orleans flood.

And making the true story about the flooding as common knowledge as ‘the sun rising in the east’ will help the region recover.

This fine piece of journalism by reporter Brian Stelter greatly increases the reach of Levees.org message!

And it gives evidence that your ongoing efforts are paying off.

And that’s good because when the American people understand that the flooding was a federal responsibility, they may understand that rebuilding is a federal duty.

Thank you for your support!

We’re winning!

Sandy Rosenthal

Founder, Levees.org

levees.org

Here’s the New York Times story.

Friday: Schubert Flint & Prop 8 Money Goes to Maine

(This started out as a reply comment in a recommended diary over at GOS by Bill in Portland, Maine, to somebody who said the Veto 1 sure looked like Prop 8, and it sort of took on a life of its own as I started putting in the links.)

The PR on “Yes on People’s Veto # 1” in Maine- It’s being run by Schubert Flint,  http://www.schubertpa.com/who_…  the exact same Sacramento- based Republican PR firm that ran the Prop 8 campaign here in CA last year, to drag Republicans across the finish line, with laundered tax free donation money.

This is just another job for people like this, altho they won’t put it up on their Schubert Flint website under the “past successes” category.

There is still LOTS of out of state money going east towards Maine-  as I have said in several other comments, it’s just not going to be obvious unless one knows where to look.

Let’s take a peek: