Is it corrupt for congressmen to work with big business (big pharma) lobbyists?

Question

to create a prescription drug bill that favored the industry (resulting in millions in extra profits) and who then take on jobs as big pharma lobbyists themselves with jobs paying as much as 2 million per year?

I certainly think so and that's what the GOP did in 2003. I recently saw a story on this. When the bill passed, the House Republican from Lousiania who led the bill read out a list of people he wanted to thank for helping him create the bill. Every single person he mentioned is now working for the drug industry as advisors or lobbyists.

(CBS) If you have ever wondered why the cost of prescription drugs in the United States are the highest in the world or why it's illegal to import cheaper drugs from Canada or Mexico, you need look no further than the pharmaceutical lobby and its influence in Washington, D.C.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/29/60minutes/main2625305.shtml

Just before the vote, Tauzin cited the people who had been most helpful in getting it passed. Among them:


John McManus, the staff director of the Ways and Means subcommittee on Health. Within a few months, he left Congress and started his own lobbying firm. Among his new clients was PhRMA, Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Merck.


Linda Fishman, from the majority side of the Finance Committee, left to become a lobbyist with the drug manufacturer Amgen.


Pat Morrisey, chief of staff of the Energy and Commerce Committee, took a job lobbying for drug companies Novartis and Hoffman-La Roche.


Jeremy Allen went to Johnson and Johnson.


Kathleen Weldon went to lobby for Biogen, a Bio-tech company.


Jim Barnette left to lobby for Hoffman-La Roche.

In all, at least 15 congressional staffers, congressmen and federal officials left to go to work for the pharmaceutical industry, whose profits were increased by several billion dollars.

DEMS TO THE RESCUE

In January, one of the first things the new Democratic House of Representatives did was to make it mandatory for Medicare to negotiate lower prices with the drug companies.

A similar measure faces stiff opposition in the Senate, where the drug lobby is spending millions of dollars to defeat it. The president has already announced that if the bill passes, he will veto it.

bolthrower,

Maybe we should do like one star trek episode. After you reach a certain age you walk through a wormhole to die. That way you won't burden your children with hundreds of thousands in medical expenses just so that you can live one more year.

We don't have any wormholes yet, so how about after 95 years of age, medicare only covers hospice treatment?

I said millions. According to this story, the big pharma increased its profits by a few BILLIONS!

Answer 1

it wouldn't be, except they use money and votes as a bargaining tool, and that is corruption.

Answer 2

The truth of the matter is our government stopped being a government for the people,by the people a long time ago.

As long as we keep reelecting the same corrupt incumbents over and over in the name of party loyalty,it will only get worse.

Our politicians consider their offices as careers,not as sacred trust.They are in Washington to make money.They have insulated themselves from the people and have surrounded themselves with the representatives of big business.

We no longer have a voice in this country,because we have become to wrapped up in partisan politics to realize the politicians are truly bipartisan.They all agree that screwing us is good for their bottom line.

Answer 3

To abolish what our fore fathers created to make sure present and future generations are taken care of for your own selfishness, and a way of getting ahead of everyone while many suffers is totally cruelty in nature and by any means is utmost corruption anyone can exclaim. Yes, this is truly corruption and nd demonic. These people as we will see, if anyone of you truly believe in heaven and hell that these people will be the very first to be cast into the flames of hell. Sure they may feel like it's heaven for them. but what was done had caused a big deficit in the evenness of good and evil. God, I hope this people get struck by lightning before their day is done. By asking this question, you really made me angry at our government more than ever because I know for the fact that these people are so power hungered, selfish, and corrupted.

To make my point even further disgusting is this, I tend to believe that the hospice program is so under funded, and yet these shidt heads wanting to cut further funding for these sort of programs and eventually cutting these programs. These people are sick in the head. They should be treated in the state mental institute so they know what it's like to be in one. I'll bet you a $100.00 that these people actually do not know places like this actually existed. Good enough, yes?

Answer 4

the guy your talking about,, took a 2 million a year job from the drug company he lobbied for in congress,, just months after his term ended,,, several other members of congress also went to work for drug companies right after Bush signed the legislation,,, it's disgusting,,,, but all you have to do is know the facts,, Republicans will justify anything,, selling their souls to the devil,, is nothing,, as long as their born-again,, they can sell their bodies to the highest bidder,, or their children,, as long as they are saved,, and right with the lord,,
this warped way of thinking is destroying the morality in this country,, thanks to GWB and the right wing Republicans,, America has gone morally and fiscally bankrupt,, but the GOP is dead,,, our nation will once again be one to be proud ,, it will just take awhile for the Democrats to help the USA regain the glory,, the love of the world and the respect of our citizens.

Answer 5

Of course it’s corrupt. They’ve basically robbed the taxpayers to enrich the pharmaceutical companies and, subsequently, themselves. The Democrats need to garner a lot of media focus on their new bill so that Bush would be too totally embarrassed to veto it.

Answer 6

The Republicans have been neatly tucked away in the Pharmaceutical industry's back pocket for years. The Pharms own them lock, stock & barrel. Does that surprise anyone?

Good post.

Answer 7

This is why Capitalism simply doesn't work.

Why involve big business in Government policy? There is automatically a conflict of interest. Only the rich benefit from it.

Answer 8

I see this irritates you to no end. Here's more good news for you, it's a common practice in Washington. If you really break everything in Washington down to its basic element, it's always about money and who is getting how much. Seriously, you see something wrong with this practice?

Answer 9

EVERY industry has lobbyists and representatives. It is not just the pharmaceutical industries.

Big pharmaceutical companies spend BILLIONS on free medicine for the needy yearly.

Big business seems to be an easy target, but an unfair one.

Answer 10

unfourtanatly the reason perscription drugs are expensive is because everyone has health insurance. The drug companies dont care how much they charge cause they (know) average joe's co-pay when he goes to the doctor is only 20-50$ and the other 2K is being paid by insurance. If no-one had insurance it would be much cheaper, simply cause no-one could afford to be them.

Answer 11

As a Union Member for years, I can assure you that the corrupt Democrat Politicians are controlled by our Union Bosses, which many are controlled by Organized Crime.

You need to study a little about the drug pricing of the US and other countries.
You have no idea what's going on.