The topic of today’s article is greed, the kind that U.S. industries are famous for. Making a killing off those least likely to afford it (and that’s includes more than one-half of Americans) is business as usual in America’s capitalist economy. Whether it’s the oil and gas industry making billions in profits by exploiting their monopoly status to raise prices far exceeding the cost of their products, the tech industry minting instant billionaires by trading on the gullibility of the public to pay for outrageously overpriced goods, or the financial crooks that underwrite virtually every new corporate swindle. Slimy as the business practices of these operators are, it is not until you reach the pharmaceutical industry that you have finally arrived at the bottom of the barrel. Big pharma profits to the tune of over half a trillion dollars on the misery and desperation of sick people. The worst place in the world to live if you have a life-threatening illness, particularly cancer, is the U.S. where cancer drugs are three to four times more expensive than any other place on earth. Even patients with insurance are forced to pony up an average of $16,500 every year out of their own pocket to stay alive. Imagine, living in the richest, most powerful country in the world and getting stiffed by big pharma on a scale that wouldn’t be tolerated in any other wealthy country. But in the U.S. the government is a silent partner in the swindle. Heard enough? There’s lots more that will make your blood boil. Check out “Prescription Drug Prices Are Too Damn High” and continue to take your overpriced blood pressure medicine.
