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'Granny' Green travels in style while
fronting
for large drug companies
On the road with 'Granny' Green,
the point senior for large drug companies
by Daniel Hines
Publisher
TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com
For the record, let's get it
straight--I love little old women, particularly as I myself grow
older.
The ones that I have come to
appreciate the most are those who tirelessly work on behalf of their
fellow seniors, acting as advocates for health care reform, lower
prescription drug costs and empowering seniors.
Yes, I love little old women...but
there is always an exception, and the one that most exemplifies
abandoning her fellow seniors is 'Granny' Green, who is to truth
about prescription drugs what Ma Barker was to raising children.
My ire was raised when I came
across a story in a small southern Illinois newspaper about how
'Granny' practices 'straight talk' with seniors. Actually, her
talk is about as straight as a dog's hind leg.
'Granny' is really enjoying her
retirement, getting to travel across the nation on a fantastic bus,
painted with the required American flags and a promise of a better
tomorrow thanks to the Seniors' Coalition, a front group that
promotes the message of large pharmaceutical companies.
So I decided to see what this
straight talk really is...here are some examples from her
'log'...(and for the PR guys at the Coalition, yes, I know, any
publicity is good publicity, and I encourage seniors to read the
tripe that 'Granny' promotes so they can find out what her message
is and wonder who is behind all her misrepresentations).
Let's get started: 'Granny's'
comments are in red:
There was not a senior I spoke with who agreed that importing drugs
was worth the risks of gambling with their health...(after a
visit to a Southern Illinois seniors' group)...
Granny, you just have to get out
more...nearly 2 million seniors ordering prescription drugs from
legitimate, registered, licensed pharmacies staffed with
professional pharmacists...perhaps you should drive that beautifully
painted and appointed bus north to be on hand when groups such as
the Alliance for Retired Americans sponsors bus trips...start a
convoy. Actually 'Granny' all those seniors whom you have
somehow missed talking with have decided that not being able to have
prescription drugs is an even bigger gamble to their health and
lives.
But if I
need to educate America one senior at a time, I’ll do it if it means
that more seniors realize that they do not need to jeopardize their
quality of life to get safe and affordable prescription drugs...(after
the same meeting before spinning off to Kentucky)
'Granny', if you pull that off,
let me know...instead of fronting for the drug companies, you ought
to let them tap into your DNA because you will live longer than
anyone in recorded history...even if you start with the 2 million
mentioned above...that's two million days...You could be the star of
one of those drug company slick $800 million advertising campaigns,
perhaps skating across the ice with Dorothy, but instead of
asking our doctors if something is good for us, we'll be instructed
to ask you.
I still
am amazed that elected officials are more eager to get seniors to
gamble with their health and risk their quality of life by going to
foreign pharmacies...(I believe this was in St. Louis...)
'Granny', you were so close to me and I
didn't get an invite to hear you...of course, neither did all
uninformed, uncaring Congressmen and Senators and Governors and
state legislators and mayors who are working to create a truly
competitive market to lower drug prices for seniors...let's see,
just for example, Senator McCain, Governor Pawlenty, Senator Snowe,
Senator Dorgan, Sentor Trent Lott and Senator Kennedy (now
there is a true odd couple) ,Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Rep. Gil Gutknecht,
Governor Blagojevich and...well, the list would have to be more than
200 Congressmen and 40 Senators to start...do you think they're
eager to gamble with seniors' health because they have some sort of
a pool going on how many seniors might eventually end up with having
to choose between food and medicine, between shelter and
prescription drugs...remember, 'Granny', there isn't much 'quality
of life' in dying.
For these seniors, the American “Gold Standard” medical system has
provided them with access to innovative and more effective
prescription drugs that have allowed them greater independence and
an increase in their quality of life. The legalization of
importation, not only threatens the integrity of the “Gold Standard”
for all Americans, but it also threatens the ability of these
seniors to access tomorrow’s “next best thing” that will provide
even more effective disease management – or even a cure...Based on
the recent Surgeon General’s report presented to Congress, the
legalization of prescription drug importation would reduce the
Research and Development revenue collected by drug makers and result
in severely decreasing the innovation of newer and more effective
prescription drugs (after a meeting in New Orleans)
'Granny' must have partied too hard in
New Orleans...perhaps she was with former Congressman Bill Tauzin,
the $2 million Cajun whose payback from pharmaceutical companies was
to, guess what...be named the head of the Pharmaceutical
Manufacturers Association...remember, 'Granny', advertising
expenditures are three times R&D expenditures...and even of that, a
goodly share is paid by tax funds, so if I'm helping pay for it,
shouldn't I have some say about the R&D that takes place...and as
for innovation claims, shame on you...you know that many of the
drugs are merely copycat extensions to keep us from having
generics...and as far as breakthrough drugs, please identify what
they are...I can't wait to see their next commercial.
First, it was groups like AARP and FamiliesUSA using MediScare
tactics to frighten seniors away from participating in the Medicare
prescription drug discount cards that would help seniors save an
average of $1,200 over two years (after a meeting in Mobile)...
The AARP and FamiliesUSA--forget
Trent Lott and Edward Kennedy--this is really a political odd
couple, but they have joined together on this issue...And now I know
why you didn't let me know you were in town--while you were out
scaring the crap out of seniors, I was with those terrible
FamiliesUSA people who are working around the clock to gain
affordable health care for everyone, not just seniors, who are
talking about the fact that our country is the only rich
industrialized country not providing a true medical delivery system
that does protect the right of American citizens to medical care,
care that will enhance our quality of life and the ability of each
of our citizens to fulfill their God-given potential rather than see
their lives and health threatened by not having adequate medical
care. And, that, 'Granny' is a real moral value.
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