GOP Ballroom Blitz About DOMA

You know, it's my belief that almost all politicians work on behalf of their corporate masters, and will selfishly sell out the rest of us average Americans simply to serve their own best interests.

But the GOP has really taken selling out a step further. How is it that the American people can't see how fanatically crazy these politicians have become?

If you ask me, they're some serious control freaks. It seems to me like they hate anyone who's not rich, white, male, overtly straight, and fanatically Christian, or even anyone else who disagrees with them. Where's all that hate coming from? And who in their right mind would support their efforts?

Nothing epitomizes it more than last week's Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act. Republican lawmakers, officials, pundits, and even some religious leaders are going ape-shit now that Gay people can get married just like the rest of us. Although I'm against marriage in general, I don't understand them. Homosexual love doesn't negatively affect anyone else in any way.

You'd think that the GOP would be more upset with corporations being considered "people".

But, don't just take my word about how upset they are. Listen to this band erroneously hired by the GOP to play for John Boehner (the man in the back) and Sarah Palin (the girl in the corner) at their recent ballroom fund-raiser, describe the GOP's anger while at this function.

Pharmacy Compounding And The Public

There's a very good reason why early 20th century laws, like the Pure Food and Drug Act, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and other FDA legislation were enacted.. because many innocent Americans died or suffered as a result of the unbridled quest of a few for greater profits.

When harmful consequences caused by those few begin to affect a significant portion the American public, our Federal political leaders need to act quickly and succinctly in order to protect the public and ensure that it doesn't happen again. IMO, that's not what's happening in pharmacy compounding.

For those unfamiliar with pharmacy compounding, let me explain how the process has worked over the years to give you a better understanding of the problem -

Traditionally, when a physician wants to provide a remedy for one of his/her patients, but such a remedy isn't commercially available (made by a pharmaceutical manufacturer), that physician would write a prescription for that patient, to be compounded (manufactured) by a neighborhood pharmacist.

This type of local manufacturing complies with the FDA rules and regulations for drug compounding because a physician writes a single prescription for a single individual patient, and because there is a direct relationship between the patient, the physician, and the pharmacist.

All three members of this relationship are directly involved in that one patient's care and can monitor whether that compounded prescription is effective or not. If an error was to occur anywhere in the process, only one patient would be harmed, and the source of that error could be easily traced and quickly corrected. This type of relationship has been working fine for decades.

But then, something changed along the way.

Recent medical technological advances made it possible for pharmacists to compound prescriptions in a more sterile environment. A niche was born, and some pharmacists sought to capitalize on it. Compounding pharmacists began to compound injectable prescription products outside of the hospital environment, similar to pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Over time, those pharmacists discovered that there weren't clear and concise laws regarding the compounding and sales of their products. There was an uncertain quasi-regulation of compounding pharmacies between both the State governments and the Federal government.

Somehow, compounding pharmacies were allowed to skirt the traditional rules of compounding and began compounding products without having that direct patient/physician/pharmacist relationship.

They began compounding injectable drugs without a written prescription from a physician, nor just for single individual patients. That niche progressed to the point where pharmacists started compounding injectable drugs in bulk, for local sale to hospitals, clinics, and doctors offices.

The compounding process further progressed to the point where pharmacists began shipping their compounded products interstate, throughout the United States. In essence, their pharmacies now became pharmaceutical manufacturing plants. But unfortunately, these pharmacies weren't being held to the same standards to ensure public safety that apply to pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Then, for various reasons, injectable drug shortages began to appear throughout the country. These compounding pharmacies began to grow and expand in providing replacements for those shortages.

But, no regulators seemed to be monitoring their activity. Compounders were left to self-regulate.

Because the important direct relationship between patient, physician, and pharmacist was missing, because no one outside of the profession was ensuring quality, and because these products were being shipped nationwide, it seemed only a matter of time before something tragic would happen.

A simple error could be "compounded" from only one patient being affected, to a large number of patients being affected, and it would become much harder to trace the source.

And that's exactly what happened. The multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis and other infections among patients who received contaminated steroid injections from just one compounding pharmacy has currently led to more than 740 innocent people being injured, with 55 deaths.

It's been over six months when we first learned of this tragedy, and yet compounding pharmacies are still being allowed to manufacture their potentially unsafe products, and are still allowed to continue shipping their products nationwide. No one in charge is seemingly attempting to stop it.

It's not like members of Congress are unaware of the unnecessary risks to the American public from allowing pharmacies to manufacture and sell injectable products without having to conform to the same sterility and manufacturing standards in which pharmaceutical manufacturers must comply.

Advocates in healthcare serving the interests of their patients as a whole have provided a simple solution to the problem. According to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices,

As we move forward and learn from the most recent outbreak, we call upon Congress to work with key stakeholders to address the need for additional laws on the federal level to fill in regulatory gaps. FDA oversight and regulations must be equal to what is required of pharmaceutical companies when compounding pharmacies dispense in mass quantities without individual patient prescriptions, manufacture sterile products from non-sterile active ingredients, or distribute across state lines.

Congress has also been told by the FDA that unclear laws make it difficult for them to enforce safety.

But yet, while there's reportedly a unconcerted effort on behalf of state and professional organizations in reaction to the problem, nothing is being done by Congress to simply correct the underlying cause.

House GOP members say that the laws don't need to be changed, and blame this tragedy on lack of FDA enforcement. They refuse to change the laws to clarify the regulatory gaps or work with Senate Democrats to quickly and succinctly rectify the situation. They're resolved to do nothing.

Meanwhile the Senate, acting like they are on the public's side, has taken the initiative to create a new regulatory class of drug manufacturers, confusingly called “compounding manufacturers,” that would be exempt from federal premarket approval and related labeling requirements, and thereby maintaining the status quo.

So I have to wonder, what the hell is wrong with all of these people? Don't they care?

To me, it seems as though no one in authority - not professional regulators, not State regulators, not Federal regulators, and neither political party wants to stop compounding pharmacies from behaving like pharmaceutical manufacturers, even when public safety is significantly at risk.

And that's the true tragedy behind this unfortunate incident.

The Big Club | Corporatocracy

And there is it - just like long-serving Independent Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders predicted, that many investigative journalists and former Government insiders have reported, and that comedian and social critic George Carlin described years ago - the corporations control America.

President Barack Obama has proposed changes in his 2014 fiscal year budget that cut our Medicare and Social Security benefits. Like George said, "it's a big club, and we ain't in it" | "and now they're coming for your social security money" | "they want your fucking retirement money".

Who's Really Exploiting The System?

If there's one common complaint that I've heard coming from retail pharmacists and techs nationwide, it's about dealing with seemingly able customers who they consider are abusing the welfare system. I've even heard some of them say that they "hate" those leeches. Although it's never bothered me as much as some of my former colleagues, I can understand their anger.

Imagine working in pharmacy located in a poorer section of town and constantly dealing everyday with customers who seem to have no overt physical problems, dress nicely, drive expensive vehicles, and perhaps even wear more bling than you, and who then use Medicaid/AHCCCS/ Workers Comp or some other type of social welfare program to pay for their prescriptions.

And to top it off, you find out that some of those welfare recipients can't speak English, increasing your suspicions that they might not even be Americans!

It's not hard to understand why those pharmacists and techs are angry at people who they think are exploiting the system. They've struggled, they've sacrificed, they've worked hard and put up with a lot of bullshit to earn everything they've got. Why should their hard-earned tax dollars be spent supporting people who are being allowed to suck off the system? Who wouldn't agree with that? I know that I do.

Of course, things aren't always what they seem to be.

I'm sure that many welfare recipients aren't exploiting the system and truly need the help. Although a few of us have probably said it, wishing that we could be in their shoes to live their lives of ease isn't the answer. If you've dealt with some welfare patients behind the scenes, and see how they really live, you wouldn't wish their quiet lives of desperation on your worst enemies.

That being said, yes, I'm also sure that there are some welfare patients exploiting the system. And you want to know what? It's not fully their fault. Lack of enforcement is the problem. Exploitation of any system would rarely occur if it was designed appropriately and the rules enforced to protect it.

But, exploiting the system is what America is all about. That's how we roll.

The problem with America today hasn't been caused by some poor schlub who may taking advantage of the social welfare system. America, and the rest of the world too, is in crisis because of the lack of enforcement against corporate crime, and corporate welfare. That's where most of our tax dollars are being spent. That's where the bulk of any type of investigation and reform should be directed.

As such, when you begin to read investigative reports into crimes involving the social welfare system, ask yourself why, especially during this period in time, are such investigations are being conducted?

Is it because the social welfare system is truly in crisis and could cause the American economy to fail? Or is it because the grand old "party of hate" is attempting to redirect your anger away from the real crimes being committed against the American public, in an effort to exploit you?

So, if you feel the need to have to hate people, then make sure that you're hating the right people.

Saturday Morning Sixto

Just some Saturday morning Cold Fact blues to ring in the sequestration impasse.

Does Horton Give A Hoot?

At the crossroads of our big debate about job growth and our big debate about healthcare debt, the public radio show Marketplace brings this animated short inspired by Dr. Seuss and composed by senior health care reporter Gregory Warner.

Learn how local politicians seeking job growth may encourage hospital over-expansion, driving up our insurance premiums and taxes and even creating a health care jobs bubble.

Hobbs is a fictional city whose mayor has a very real problem: How will he implement his scheme to bring in good clean health care jobs when every other American city is trying to do the same? How far will he go to nab those fabled 'medical tourists?' And how much will this medical arms race affect our insurance premiums and taxes?


Oh The Jobs (Debt?) You'll Create! from Marketplace on Vimeo.

A Crisis in Primary Health Care

Where can we find an ally in Congress to help pharmacists become providers? Right here.


Source: Senator Bernie Sanders

The Presidential Inauguration

While the Democrats were celebrating the inauguration of President Obama today, someone sent me this video clip of some alleged HSBC bankers relaxing and enjoying their freedom at a NY Republican nightspot, while reminiscing about the past and deviously thinking up new ways to manipulate the president for four more years.

The Future Of Technology

While pharmacist positions may slowly become like hens' teeth, the sky's the limit in the job market for well-trained workers using cutting-edge technologies. The prospects for work are out of this world!

But don't just take my word for it. Here's just one advertisement for a company preparing the world for the future, when only two classes of people remain on this planet, the super rich - and the rest of us.


Source: Armadyne Corporation and Elysium

A Few Bad Apples

How many times have you heard someone use the phrase "It's always the few bad apples that spoil the whole bunch", or a phrase similar to that? I know that I've heard it numerous times. Heck, I'm sure that I've even said it a few times myself.

But, it wasn't until just yesterday, after discussing the topic of "regulation" when I started to give it more thought and realized that this phrase isn't accurate. If anything, the exact opposite is true - there are only a few good apples in the bunch, trying to prevent the whole bunch from being spoiled.

Let me explain -

Take a look at a population of apples that have fallen not too far from the tree (pun intended).

If you look closely enough, you'll find a few apples that are rotten to the core, a few apples that are perfectly good, and many apples with bumps, bruises and with varying degrees of imperfections.

This large group of imperfect apples could quickly turn bad without someone intervening to prevent their deterioration. And if you look even further, you'll also find that this apple analogy also describes the human population, and how human beings behave.

Just like the population of apples, there will always be a small percentage of straight-out, wholly-selfish, psychopathic, rotten-to-the-core criminals who are unable to control their emotions and will do anything to get what they want, including behaving in inhumane ways.

Oppositely, there will also always be a small percentage of unselfish, compassionate, altruistic, and perfectly unblemished human beings who have absolute control over their emotions and will always behave in ways that best serve the entire population as a whole.

And then there's the rest of us -

We're the largest percentage of the population - imperfect, battered, and bruised people who may not always understand or care how our behaviors might affect others, have varying degrees of control over our emotions, and sometimes behave inappropriately.

Most of us vacillate between the light side and the dark side of our behaviors. It's only after the scales tip to the dark side for the majority of us, when the whole population becomes rotten.

So as you can see, a few bad apples won't spoil the bunch. They're easy to spot. It's when most of the bruised apples go bad that the entire bunch is ruined. Identifying them requires a closer look.

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If history has proven anything, it's that human beings cannot control their emotions, and will behave in ways that satisfy those uncontrolled emotions. When viewed as a whole, more than a few people will tend to act selfishly and cannot be freely entrusted to do what's best, or safe, for the whole.

And THAT'S why we need regulation. If an enterprise has the capability of harming a large percentage of the population, then someone else needs to be looking over their shoulder to ensure they don't.

Don't believe the growing percentage of criminals who "call themselves" Republicans or Libertarians when they say that Government needs to stay out of their business. They're trying to manipulate your bruised and battered mind into enabling their crimes, and to turn you into a bad apple.

America is a Republic. We're a society founded upon, and governed by, laws, rules, and regulations created precisely to protect it's members from the rotten apples intent on harming us. As such, we Americans should expect regulation and welcome it when it's needed.

But, trying to get the politically-appointed regulators to enforce the rules fairly? That's another rant.

The Ends Always Justify The Means

I guess it’s all about the corporate dream. It always seems as though the ends justify the means with corporations. What we need is an honest, uncorrupted, independent candidate who'll speak the truth about what's happening behind the scenes in our political system.

I think I'm going to listen to my idealistic offspring and vote for Dexter Holland.

A Divided Nation

The dichotomy in this country is becoming strikingly polar. There's a lot of ignorance and hate out there, and too many people seem to be allowing others to do their thinking for them. Personally, I don't believe most of us understand the seriousness of the problem and where it could lead.

PBS POV | Granito: How to Nail a Dictator

In a stunning milestone for justice in Central America, a Guatemalan court recently charged former dictator Efraín Rios Montt with genocide for his brutal war against the country's Mayan people in the 1980s — and Pamela Yates' 1983 documentary, "When the Mountains Tremble", provided key evidence for bringing the indictment.

Granito: How to Nail a Dictator, a documentary by Pamela Yates, Paco de Onís, and Peter Kinoy, tells the extraordinary story of how a film, aiding a new generation of human rights activists, became a granito — a tiny grain of sand — that helped tip the scales of justice. Here's the trailer -


Related Link: Guatemala: The Secret Files

Examination Day

Congratulations to all the new pharmacy graduates. Good luck to you all. Just remember, smiling faces can be deceiving. There can be consequences for being too smart or for being too obedient.

Inmate Number 40892-424

Convicted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich never allowed himself to even think about spending the next decade of his life behind bars. Less than an hour before he began serving his 14-year sentence on corruption charges, he could hardly say that word: "prison." He still maintains his innocence.

With helicopters and TV news crews broadcasting his every move today, the one-time golden boy of Illinois politics stepped out of a black SUV, the Colorado mountains on the horizon, and just before noon walked into the Federal Correctional Institution Englewood in suburban Denver.

And wouldn't you know it? The Feds brought in someone to sing a song about it.

Nursing Versus Pharmacy

If you've been practicing what's left of your profession in the hospital setting for a while, then you've likely come to realize that nursing garners much of the decision-making power. They run the show from top to bottom. In my long itinerant career, I've even worked in a few hospitals where most of the hospital executives were former nurses. They don't forget where they came from and almost always strongly support the nurses in the trenches, sometimes at expense of other departments.

During that same period of time, you've probably also noticed that pharmacy has lost much of it's decision-making capabilities in the hospital setting. They don't have the same amount of power the used to have 15-20 years ago. As a matter of fact, I've even worked in a couple of for-profit hospitals where the pharmacy director has been replaced with a non-pharmacist.

That's right. Just like chain pharmacies and the PBMs, pharmacists working in hospitals often have to answer to non-pharmacist supervisors. As crazy as it may sound, in my career, I've had to answer to pharmacy technicians, radiology technicians, and even business majors who were put in charge of the pharmacy departments (directly and indirectly).

So, any pharmacists left running the pharmacy departments in hospitals sometimes have to resort to using rhetoric, flattery, ass-kissing, or some other type of bullshit rap to get what they want. If they're up against a nursing department who wants something differently, chances are they're going to lose.

But, don't just take my word for it.

I just happened to find video of our hospital's pharmacy and nursing directors arguing over the use of technology in reducing personnel costs, and showing who's really got the power. Just notice who's smiling, dancing, and sarcastically telling the frustrated pharmacist "Yeah, you're breaking my heart".

Some Political Insight From Bill Moyers

I'm not one for discussing politics, as I've previously explained my cynical position on the subject. But, I've always found Bill Moyers to be insightful and willing to point out the bullshit that's being spread, just so we don't step in it.

So, I thought I would post this clip from one of his recent shows. Just some food for thought.


Bill Moyers Essay: Newt's Obsession with Saul Alinsky from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

A Solution to Corporatocracy?

An interview with Lawrence Lessig on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart discussing his new book - Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress--and a Plan to Stop It.

The Illusion of Politics Redux

You'll notice that, except for pointing out crime, corruption, and hypocrisy, I usually don't discuss politics, either on my blog or on my Twitter account. It's because I've truly come to believe that the political system in America is all just an illusion.

But, I wasn't always that cynical about politics.

In 2008, I had full faith in, and fully supported the election of Barack Obama because I truly thought he would do what is best for America as a whole. It was only shortly after he was elected, during a speech he gave in Mesa, AZ, when he came right out and said "Look, I'm not going after the banks" (or something to that effect), when I fully lost my faith.

It was right at that moment when I realized just how big a fool I was in not seeing that the guy I voted for was just another instrument of Wall Street and the robber barons, and that the whole political system is just a sham, a game played to make it seem like the average American has a say in how our Government operates.

So, when I listen to others adamantly spouting their rhetoric that one party is better than another, I see them as the fools I once was for still believing in a corrupt and failed system. They haven't yet come to realize that it's all an illusion designed by the ruling class to keep us fighting amongst ourselves in order to distract us from their continuing crimes.



This video best describes my beliefs in the system and how I address politics now.

The Illusion Of Politics

Hmm.. seems like I've seen all of this recent political rhetoric somewhere before.

Judging by the many hostile political tweets that I've read lately, I guess there are still those who believe that the political process is not fully corrupt, believe that they are actually part of that process, and that one political party is better than another. They haven't yet figured out that we're all puppets, dancing on the ends of strings held by our corporate owners.

Many good people, just like you and me, still believe in the illusion of politics. The unfortunate part of this illusion is that it always fosters conflict, hate, and inevitable violence. And who benefits from this conflict? Not the people killing each other. Only the corporations pulling our strings and profiting from our mistaken belief that we're actually creating change.


About Taxes from wreckandsalvage on Vimeo.