MuffinTop

As I understand it, the reason Canada gets cheaper drugs is because they have told the drug companies, "If you charge us the full price (that you need to recoup your costs + profit), then we will simply ignore your patents and produce generic equivalents anyway - the hell with you". US doesn't seem to be in that same position. Unfortunately (fortunately?) the costs of developing a drug and getting it approved are horrendous. The bulk of which is paid for by the high prices those drugs are sold for in the US. Still, I'd rather be here in the US than in Mexico, where you never know if you're just buying sugar pills. -Jim

100 billion sounds like a lot, but to put it in perspective, in 2005: 519 billion spent on Social Security 333 billion spent on Medicare 182 billion spent on Medicaid (source: http://www.cbo.gov/budget/budproj.shtml) I think most people want the same thing - life, liberty, & pursuit of happiness. Social programs definitely have their place, but need to be limited so that they cannot be taken advantage of, and so that they do not create either an entitlement mentality or a dependency. (Okay -- conservative republicrat/demican here) -Jim