I have been reading lots of commentary regarding how the shortage of swine flu vaccine is a prime example of “government-run health care.”
Let us be very clear at where this failure belongs. Privately run, capitalist drug corporations are responsible for the manufacture of all our vaccines. They received government contracts to produce this vaccine, and like other corporations, such as Halliburton in Iraq, put profit ahead of efficiency.
Every time I hear someone talk about socialized medicine and how evil it is, I want to laugh. The Veterans Affairs health care system is government-run, and all members of Congress receive government health care benefits.
Yet somehow, there is this perception that our government messed up this particular vaccine. Do people think that our government is making it in the basement of the White House? Let’s start exercising our brains and put some pressure on those drug manufacturers for their mistake.
Capitalism, like any other system, carries its own dangers. One of those is relying on the private, profit-driven marketplace to always behave with character, intelligence and integrity. Did we learn nothing from the Wall Street meltdown last year?
Health insurance and drug companies are set up to be profitable first. Pay attention to the smoke and mirrors being used to frighten people away from change. And remember: The drug companies dropped the ball here, not the federal government.
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