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David, If America is so wealthy, why are so many people living without any healthcare at all? We have seen the profit motive at work in healthcare before, in the case of the pharmaceutical company which pulled the plug on a trial of GDNF. The chief exec of the company was caught saying, at a shareholder meeting, that treatments such as GDNF were not the way the company should go, because of its poor profit prospects. Left alone to cope in our free-market system, these poor subjects are stuck with the hardware for the delivery of GDNF still implanted in their bodies. This is not a hypothetical case. It actually happened. Echoing Ray’s remarks, what if a cure for Parkinson’s was developed, but the projections for the profitability were low enough to steer the most companies away from the cure’s development and mass production? Is there no point at all when a caring society should stand up for all the ones who would be left in the lurch? Are we to sit idly by and let the bulls trample our chance of regaining what we have lost during our tenure as inmates in the PD prison? David, I just don’t know how you could fall for the “death committee” lies and the comparisons of Mr. Obama’s presidency to Stalinist Russia in the mid-20th century. I say if there is enough money in our society to fight two or three simultaneous wars and bully the rest of the world with our military in the vanguard, bail out the banks and Chevrolet, and give the proposed tax cuts to the wealthiest beneficiaries of the free-market, there certainly should be a little pile of coins that we could sweep up after the capitalist binge, enough to provide for development of unprofitable but effective treatments, along with coverage for those who can’t afford it. Being deemed “unfit for further treatment” is much more likely in the system that existed before the Affordable Healthcare Act. I’m sure there are many on this listserve who can testify to having been denied prescription coverage, or paying hundreds of dollars for a single bottle of pills. And I’m sure that all of us have heard horror stories about people being denied care in emergency rooms, and later dying because they didn’t have insurance coverage. In fact, committees who do indeed decide people’s fate on a cost-benefit basis exist right now, today, only they are not created and run by President Obama and his sinister squad of eugenic scientists. They are just part of the daily practice of running a health insurance company. It's becoming increasingly harder to watch these discussions without participating. Hope you don't mind. Rick McGirr -----Original Message----- From: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rayilyn Brown Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2012 2:53 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: WHAT W I LL YOU DO IN NOVEMBER? Hi David, and thanks for responding. I guess you fear Obama has death panels in store for us, right? So what do you suggest for health care? At one time in history feudalism was a "better" system. Capitalism and industralization definitely led to human progress; non-industial societies don't do very well. But is this the end of the line? The best we can do? I specifically asked why profit had to be a part of health care and you did not address that question. The defects of the "free market" system put us in this mess, not Mr. Obama. The repeal of the Glass-Seagall Act's ban on investment and commercial banking in one institution led to the financial breakdown. It had kept us safe since the 1930's I for one am tired of hearing about the superiority of the United States. For your information DBS was first done by a French doctor. ProSavin is only being done in the UK and France. I also think the big government vs. small government issue is a phony one. What matters is who is in the government not how big or small it is. For the past few decades Republicans have gotten control of many state governments. Witness the retrogressive, extremist legislation they are producing or attempting to produce, personhood laws, bans on collective bargaining, invasive vaginal exams, voter suppression, anti-abortion, stand your ground, etc. Talk about Big Brother!!!! These issues do affect people with Parkinson's and all diseases for that matter. We ignore them at our peril. -----Original Message----- From: David McMurray Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2012 12:26 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: WHAT W I LL YOU DO IN NOVEMBER? Ray, your comments and questions warrant a response.....in general, profit has made this country the most prosperous, with the highest standard of living, in the history of mankind. Instead of a system, like the Soviet Union and others that shared and share equally in scarcity, (which increases human suffering and a poverty standard of living), our Free Market economy has done just the opposite. And if we can reverse the direction that Mr. Obama has pointed us in, we will continue to see opportunities for those who want to work hard and improve their lot in life. I am much more concerned about Big Brother telling us what we can or cannot be treated for. I've seen the quotes, and the Panels of Experts that will eventually be formed under ObamaCare will have the power to deem an individual unfit for further treatment, or a specific treatment, (based on economic concerns, i.e., what's the cost/benefit factor.) Obama has mentioned the fact that the rising cost of Care is directly related to the increased numbers of the Senior population and the expensive treatment for serious illnesses common to them. Denying treatment is going to be a major cost-cutting feature of OBC.....this concept used to be" Unthinkable", but has become "Thinkable", soon to be "Acceptable".....all done for the "common good". November, for me is a "no-brainer"....:):) Dave -----Original Message----- From: Rayilyn Brown Sent: Friday, April 13, 2012 1:57 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: WHAT W I LL YOU DO IN NOVEMBER? I just heard Romney’s address to the NRA. he said Obama is destroying our economic, religious and personal freedom (to choose our own health care), and the constitution . The Declaration of Independence god-given rights was also cited. What kind of a life does one have with Parkinson’s? Is a cure going to come from the free market which sees no profit in a cure, the churches, or the NRA? Can someone tell me why profit has to be the foundation of our health care? WHAT A TERRIBLE SHAME IT WOULD BE IF PROSAVIN TURNED OUT TO BE A CURE FOR PD, BUT WAS NOT PROFITABLE ENOUGH FOR THE “JOB CREATORS”!! Please, I beg you, don’t return us to the past. Ray Rayilyn Brown Past Director AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn