by Jim Hightower & r & & r & KEEPING PRICES HIGH & r & & lt;span class= & quot;dropcap & quot; & I & lt;/span & sn't it great to know that our Homeland Security officials are on the job to protect you and me? Yesirsee, they are out there on our borders right now -- protecting us from getting cheaper drugs from Canada.
It received practically no publicity, but last November a Homeland tentacle called the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency quietly began confiscating mailings of prescription drugs that senior citizens and others in our country had ordered from pharmacies in Canada. Are these dangerous drugs? Not at all. They're the same medicines that doctors here prescribe -- but they cost only half as much... or less. That's because the U.S. is practically the only country in the whole world that doesn't stop the drug giants from price gouging, so shopping for the exact same medicines outside the U.S. is a way for consumers to avoid being ripped-off.
But, George W's border protection police are now stepping in to... well, to protect the rip-off prices of the drug giants, which get the bulk of their global profits by gouging American consumers. Perhaps you thought that our Homeland Security Agency was focused on assuring, you know, our security. But, no it's busy defending our borders against fairly priced drugs being delivered to heart patients, diabetes sufferers and others.
The good news is that the public has rebelled, forcing both the House and Senate to pass an amendment prohibiting border agents from seizing medicines imported from Canada. However, the bad news is that the drug corporations are major GOP campaign donors and employ more Washington lobbyists than there are members of Congress. So, the Bush White House and Republican congressional leaders are gathering behind closed doors to kill this pro-consumer amendment, even though it has already passed in both the houses of Congress.
To make your voice heard in this fight, contact Americans for Health Care at 866-428-6837.
& & For more nuggets of wisdom from America's No. 1 populist, check out & lt;a href="http://www.jimhightower.com" & his website & lt;/a & & & .
It received practically no publicity, but last November a Homeland tentacle called the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency quietly began confiscating mailings of prescription drugs that senior citizens and others in our country had ordered from pharmacies in Canada. Are these dangerous drugs? Not at all. They're the same medicines that doctors here prescribe -- but they cost only half as much... or less. That's because the U.S. is practically the only country in the whole world that doesn't stop the drug giants from price gouging, so shopping for the exact same medicines outside the U.S. is a way for consumers to avoid being ripped-off.
But, George W's border protection police are now stepping in to... well, to protect the rip-off prices of the drug giants, which get the bulk of their global profits by gouging American consumers. Perhaps you thought that our Homeland Security Agency was focused on assuring, you know, our security. But, no it's busy defending our borders against fairly priced drugs being delivered to heart patients, diabetes sufferers and others.
The good news is that the public has rebelled, forcing both the House and Senate to pass an amendment prohibiting border agents from seizing medicines imported from Canada. However, the bad news is that the drug corporations are major GOP campaign donors and employ more Washington lobbyists than there are members of Congress. So, the Bush White House and Republican congressional leaders are gathering behind closed doors to kill this pro-consumer amendment, even though it has already passed in both the houses of Congress.
To make your voice heard in this fight, contact Americans for Health Care at 866-428-6837.
& & For more nuggets of wisdom from America's No. 1 populist, check out & lt;a href="http://www.jimhightower.com" & his website & lt;/a & & & .
