Taxpayers spent $70,000,000 to develop the drug remdesivir which is being used to treat COVID.

Gilead Pharmaceutical Company is charging $3,000+ for it.

I want everyone to think about that over the July 4th holiday.

Certainly wars have been fought for lesser reasons.

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Capitalism is based on the ridiculous notion that you can enjoy limitless growth in a closed, finite system.

In biology, such behavior of cells is called "cancer".

Socialize the risk and privatize the profit. It is the new American way.

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Airlines spent 96% of their profits since the 2008 crash on stock buybacks. Now they get a bailout.

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Edited: 06/30/2020 at 12:08 PM by scombrid

100%


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QOP = Terrorists
FK = Gay

Stock buyback just vacuum money out of the companies. They should lose their asses when things go south but we bail them out.

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Two prog groups estimated that the gov't spent $70,000,000. That means it is more like $10 million. Gilead spent about a billion of it's own money. 3 grand seems like a good deal to save my life. Granted, that would be far too much to save a prog's life.

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I :heart; Q

"Many viral illnesses threaten human health but don't attract commercial interest because they lack potential for huge drug sales."

"These don't represent a commercial opportunity but a public health opportunity."

"To make progress, Gilead needed help from U.S. taxpayers. Lots of help. Three federal health agencies were deeply involved in remdesivir's development every step of the way, providing tens of millions of dollars of government research support."

"Despite the heavy subsidies, federal agencies have not asserted patent rights to Gilead's drug, potentially a blockbuster therapy worth billions of dollars. That means Gilead will have few constraints other than political pressure when it sets a price in coming weeks. Critics are urging the Trump administration to take a more aggressive approach."

"Two other nonprofit watchdog groups, Knowledge Ecology International and Public Citizen, also have documented the large taxpayer-funded contributions toward the drug. Public Citizen estimates public investment at a minimum of $70 million."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...oronavirus-taxpayers/



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Capitalism is based on the ridiculous notion that you can enjoy limitless growth in a closed, finite system.

In biology, such behavior of cells is called "cancer".

Same article that I read. Estimated. That means that they are pulling that number out of their asses. From Knowledge Ecology's website - "KEI is focused on social justice." Public Citizen, "is a non-profit, liberal / progressive consumer rights advocacy group and think tank based in Washington, D.C.," according to Wikipedia. So, their estimates are worthless.

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I :heart; Q

""Without direct public investment and tax subsidies, this drug would apparently have remained in the scrapheap of unsuccessful drugs," Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.), chairman of the House Ways and Means health subcommittee, said earlier this month. Doggett and Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.) have asked Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar for a detailed financial accounting of federal support for remdesivir's discovery and development."

Naturally the fiscally conservative Pugs will join the Dems in demanding a full accounting, no?

I don't care if it was $20 or $70 million, the American people deserve an equity stake in any private enterprise they are required to subsidize. Anything less is a redistribution of wealth from the working class to the owning class.


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Capitalism is based on the ridiculous notion that you can enjoy limitless growth in a closed, finite system.

In biology, such behavior of cells is called "cancer".

Mims Dotard Lives Matter ?

Meh..

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When America was "great"

fakefishkller free July!

Just do it!

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The REAL truth is....both of the forum idiots are OWNED.
-BOTH of them have no clue who their owner is.
-They are both card carrying narcissists.
^These are PROVED facts.

Public funding... they defunded the police.... But they are using the Public Funding to pay $4000 a day for private security guards for the city council... SO public funding for private protection..

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Rusty good and important topic. A couple of thoughts here:

Here's some more literature on the deal. Caution to the GOP commie loving dumb a$$s, it's got big words. GIlead going to make a mint!

"the American people deserve an equity stake" Hey we just did get an equity stake y'all! In a god damned trucking company? The street 30% of trucking firm?

tspank so stupid anymore "math is hard" Hey tspank pssst Gilead is based in California!

what the f is nobodyelse blabbering about.



Edited: 07/01/2020 at 06:14 PM by Greensleeves

Why should the people not own the machinery necessary to manufacture life saving drugs? Why must we pay a bounty to the wealthy in order to save those who work for wages? Because "capitalism"; they have the power to extract their ransom because they have purchased the government. Democrat, republican, lock stock and barrel.

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Capitalism is based on the ridiculous notion that you can enjoy limitless growth in a closed, finite system.

In biology, such behavior of cells is called "cancer".

Somebody has to own stuff. Collectivism fails, always has always will. Human nature requires it. Buttt, the people that own stuff have to carry the risks of their actions. Problems arise when they become powerful enough that they can rig the game so that they always have an out and dump their fuckups on the commons which is where we are right now. The guy turning bolts on the line is not worth as much as the project manager that oversees construction of the whole plant. Drive up US1 and look at the CCNG power plant. The project manager that pulls of construction of that thing and the engineers that design it deserve to be rewarded more than the guy that drives the truck. The problem is when some fucking paper pusher has the game rigged so he gets it all. But there have to be different outcomes based on actual production and innovations. Otherwise nothing useful gets done.

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You might as well say there is no alternative to a king, and slaves need a master. There must always be lords, for the peasants know only the turning of the soil.

Collectivism works fine, far better if it's democratic, and it must always be prepared to fight those who would spend fortunes to defeat it.

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Capitalism is based on the ridiculous notion that you can enjoy limitless growth in a closed, finite system.

In biology, such behavior of cells is called "cancer".

You should study game theory to see why Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman, and Karl Marx are all wrong. You have to have markets with democratic side boards. Everything else is doomed by the natural failures of natural selfishness.

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fakefishkller free July!

Just do it!

-------------------------
The REAL truth is....both of the forum idiots are OWNED.
-BOTH of them have no clue who their owner is.
-They are both card carrying narcissists.
^These are PROVED facts.

Do you think that competition is the core social interaction and life is a zero sum game? Game theory may have it's applications, but life isn't a poker game. Where there are resources and means of production to meet the needs of a population, it's foolish to allow a few with power to hoard the resources for themselves while others go hungry, live out doors, and die for lack of healthcare.

Capitalism persists because it depends on convincing people just what you describe, that greed is good, everyone is selfish, and there isn't enough for everyone. Meanwhile housing units sit empty, animals are destroyed rather than brought to market, and whole harvests of vegetables are left to rot in order to keep prices up. The market doesn't serve you, you serve the market. Madness.

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Capitalism is based on the ridiculous notion that you can enjoy limitless growth in a closed, finite system.

In biology, such behavior of cells is called "cancer".

YO.......MORON!

Socialism and Communism DO NOT WORK!

-------------------------
The REAL truth is....both of the forum idiots are OWNED.
-BOTH of them have no clue who their owner is.
-They are both card carrying narcissists.
^These are PROVED facts.