Wednesday, May 31st, 2017
ERIC LIPTON and KATIE THOMAS, - The New York Times
Stephan: The pharmaceutical industry in the U.S. essentially owns the Congress; they pour so many millions into the coffers of Congress members that no one wants to kill the goose that lays golden eggs. As a result Americans pay prices for their drugs that are preposterously higher than those charged in the rest of the world. When you go overseas and have to fill a prescription you are gobsmacked by how little the drug costs compared with what you usually pay.
I think this is only possible because 64 per cent of Americans have never been outside of the country and so know no other pricing than the unarmed robbery they usually face. It is a central feature of the illness profit system that passes for healthcare in the U.S..
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of independent pharmacists swarmed the House and Senate office buildings one recent afternoon, climbing the marble staircases as they rushed from one appointment to the next, pitching lawmakers on their plan to rein in the soaring drug prices that have enraged American consumers.
As they crowded into lawmakers’ offices, describing themselves as the industry’s “white hats,” they pointed a finger at pharmacy benefit managers like Express Scripts and CVS Health, which handle the drug coverage of millions of Americans.
“Want to reduce prescription drug costs?” the pharmacists argued during their visits. “Pay attention to the middlemen.”
A civil war has broken out among the most powerful players in the pharmaceutical industry — including brand-name and generic drug makers, and even your local pharmacists — with each blaming others for the rising price of medicine.
It is an industry that was already spending nearly double what other business sectors in the United States economy allocate on lobbying, and those sums continue to rise. President Trump has only heightened anxiety by accusing the drug industry of “getting away with murder,” […]
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Wednesday, May 31st, 2017
Tom Boggioni, - The Raw Story
Stephan: In this and the next two stories, and in their own words, Republican legislators demonstrate the thuggishness of the modern Republican Party. These incidents are occurring all over the country, but it is hard to see the trend until you see them collectively. Hence the multiple stories, so that you can see what is happening.
Multnomah County GOP chair James Buchal
Credit: Facebook
In light of the recent stabbing deaths of two men in Portland by a white nationalist — and constant local street brawls between neo-Nazi groups and anti-fascist protesters — the chairman of Portland’s GOP party said he would consider hiring armed right-wing militia members as bodyguards to protect Republicans on the street. (emphasis added)
In an interview with the Guardian, Multnomah County GOP chair James Buchal said that disputes between conservatives and progressives have many Republicans considering “abandoning the public square” which worries him.
“I am sort of evolving to the point where I think that it is appropriate for Republicans to continue to go out there,” Buchal explained. “And if they need to have a security force protecting them, that’s an appropriate thing too.”
According to Buchal — a perennial GOP candidate for office — he’s not sure that conservatives can entrust their fate to the police or first responders and proposed using far-right militia members as bodyguards.
“Yeah. And there are these people arising, […]
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Wednesday, May 31st, 2017
Mallory Shelbourne, - The Hill
Stephan: What do you think the people of Nebraska had in mind when they voted for this heartless zombie? And ask yourself, why is it these guys are always Republicans?
Nebraska Republican Representative Adrian Smitdh, who isn’t sure that people have a right to food.
Credit: Washington Post
Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) on Saturday avoiding directly answering a question on whether all Americans are entitled to eat.
During an interview with NPR’s “Weekend Edition Saturday,” Smith discussed farm subsidies and cutting food stamps with host Scott Simon.
“Well, let me ask you this bluntly — is every American entitled to eat?” Simon asked.
“Well, they — nutrition, obviously, we know is very important. And I would hope that we can look to,” Smith responded.
“Well, not just important, it’s essential for life. Is every American entitled to eat?” Simon asked again.
Smith answered the question by saying “it is essential. It is essential.”
Simon asked a third time, also asking whether food stamps should be an “ultimate guarantor.”
“I think that we know that, given the necessity of nutrition, there could be a number of ways that we could address that,” Smith responded.
President Trump’s budget proposal, released last week, includes cuts to Medicaid and food stamp programs.
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Wednesday, May 31st, 2017
Stephen Young, - The Observer (Dallas, TX)
Stephan: Yet another Republican zombie; they all remind me of fifth grade schoolyard bullies, pushy, aggressive, crude, and vulgar. When you see just one situation like this you think, oh that's an outlier event. It's only when you see them together, and these events all occurred within a single week, that you see the trend, and what the Republican Party has become.
Texas State Representatives Matt Rinaldi (left) and Poncho Nevarez
Credit: State of Texas
Irving’s Matt Rinaldi celebrated being named one of the Observer’s worst representatives of the 2017 session with a bang Monday by calling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on people protesting Texas’ new anti-sanctuary city law at the state Capitol. During an ensuing skirmish on the Texas floor, Rinaldi threatened to shoot Democratic state Rep. Poncho Nevarez.
Rinaldi threw a fit after several protesters in a boisterous House gallery raised signs that said, “I am illegal and here to stay,” the representative said. After seeing the signs, the representative said in a statement late Monday, he called federal immigration authorities.
When he told several Democrats what he’d done, all hell broke loose on the floor, according to Rinaldi.
“When I told the Democrats I called ICE, Rep. Ramon Romero physically assaulted me, and other Democrats were held back by colleagues,” Rinaldi said.
Romero, speaking at a House press conference, told a different story.
“We were looking above [to the gallery]. We were waving, […]
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Natasha Korecki , - Politico
Stephan: The Great Schism Trend and the violent revulsion so many Americans feel about Donald Trump have conjoined to produce a completely unanticipated manifestation of the trend. I have never heard of cities passing calls for impeachment, but suspect we will be hearing more about this. Here is the story.
Credit: Jessica Kourkounis/Chip Somodevilla/Mireia Triguero Roura
Congress may not be ready to launch impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, but a growing number of cities and towns are trying to push members in that direction.
Brookline, Mass., became the 10th and latest local government Thursday to pass a resolution calling for impeachment, a step designed to add pressure on the state’s congressmen to launch a formal investigation that could ultimately lead to the president’s removal from office.
The Massachusetts towns of Cambridge, Amherst, Pelham and Leverett have already made the call, and Newton has a proposal up for consideration.
California is another hotbed of impeachment. The Los Angeles city council in early May overwhelmingly passed a measure asking for impeachment proceedings to begin. Richmond, Alameda and Berkeley did the same.
In Chicago, the city council drafted an ordinance that quickly drew 31 sponsors. Alderman Ameya Pawar, who introduced the resolution, said Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey was the tipping point.
“Donald Trump is a racist, a bigot, and a misogynist, and he is attempting to enact policies around […]
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